


Better Angels

by Bootzie2



Category: Mortal Instruments, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Supernatural, The Kane Chronicles - Rick Riordan, The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel - Michael Scott, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alec Lightwood & Jace Wayland Friendship, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Mortal Instruments Series, Alternate Universe - Percy Jackson Fusion, Angst and Feels, Angst and Tragedy, BAMF Leo Valdez, BAMF Magnus Bane, Canon Era, Canon Universe, Character Death, Clary Fray & Alec Lightwood Friendship, Clary Fray & Isabelle Lightwood Friendship, F/M, Gen, Hurt Nico di Angelo, Jace Wayland Feels, Jace Wayland Needs A Hug, Minor Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Minor Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Minor Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Multi, Nico di Angelo & Percy Jackson Friendship, Original Character Death(s), Sad Percy Jackson, Supportive Clary Fray, Team Free Will, Torture, Warlock Magnus Bane
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-27
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-05-09 20:35:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 56,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5554361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bootzie2/pseuds/Bootzie2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(UNDER GOING TRANSFORMATIVE EDITING)<br/>Victoria Carstairs. Nephilim, demigod, and controller of all four elements. Daughter of Neptune and the Last Princess of Rome. After living many lifetimes she would not die as the hero, but the villain. Victoria will turn into her worst nightmare and her friends and family will have to make the ultimate decision. Will they save Victoria from the being inside and let the world burn or will they save the world that has fallen into a storm of fire and chaos. Along with the most powerful immortals of all time, angels, and the combined forces of the Greek and Roman camps these heroes will be in for the battle of a lifetime. </p><p>(*******************DISCLAIMER*********************<br/>THIS IS AN AU (ALTERNATE UNIVERSE) A UNIVERSE WHERE ALL THE STORIES ARE TRUE, AND SOME ARE TWEAKED. I STARTED WRITING THIS BEFORE BLOOD OF OLYMPUS CAME OUT! SO ANYTHING THAT IS NOT THE SAME DOES NOT APPLY AND YEAH THIS IS NOTHING LIKE BLOOD OF OLYMPUS JUST FYI. LOVE Y'ALL)</p><p>Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/bootzie2/playlist/11aAUevgZn405iuaR847Kl</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey Guys welcome to the first chapter of my works Better Angels. Updates are few and far between, but I hope that you enjoy these first few chapters.

Better

Angels

By

Rebecca Young

  
  
  
  


 

  
  
  
  
  
  


 

 

 

 

 

Though these characters and places may not be of my own imagination the story  is.

I was inspired to write Better Angels because it is the title of a poem that a friend wrote that assured us that we can overcome even the most difficult of hardships.

Better Angels

By

Hannah Terjeson

The darkness used to call me its own

I used to walk this earth alone

I used to wait in these long shadows

To see what came after when the world fell.

I fell with it

But I am not afraid anymore

And I am not alone

They told us we were Angels

Better than we used to be

Hold our heads high and wait

For our time.

We are all Angels

Better than we used to be.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**“Does this darkness have a name? This cruelty, This hatred,How did it find us? Did it steal into our lives or did we seek it out and embrace it? What happened to us that we now send our children into the world like we send young men to war, hoping for their safe return, but knowing that some would be lost along the way. When did we lose our way? Consumed by the shadows. Swallowed whole by the darkness. Does this darkness have a name? Is it your name?” Lucas Scott from One Tree Hill Episode With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We slept.**

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Prelude

Unknown

It's been more than a year since the defeat of the Titans and Valentine. The Nephilim, demigods, and the world are in for a fight unlike one they could have ever imagined. The year is now 2008 and our heroes have begun their separate battles against evil. Little do they know that these two evils shall become one. Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern (Sebastian) had awaken Gaea and joined forces with her and together they will bring hell to Earth. Our heroes will join forces with beings much older than they can imagine, but younger than Gaea. Together can they take on the armies of hell? Can Heaven overcome Hell? A Hell much different than the one they fought before.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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** Prologue **

**Ariel**

          The silence is overwhelming as you wait to be called in. As you wait for the end of something so terrifying that you find that you yourself cannot face it. The end is not what you think it is. It is not death. It is not a never ending night that is utterly and completely black, and it is not the blackness of nothingness. It is something that is much worse. It was dark, cold, and filled with a foul smell that I could not identify. Hell is strange. Most humans would expect fiery pits and a little man with a pitch fork. The fiery pits are true, but hell is not just fire. It is the end.

            I don't belong in Hell or The End. Whichever you would like to call it. Then End is simply more suiting for me. As I was saying I don't belong here at all. Get it humans. I am not Death, Satan, or the Grim Reaper though it may sound like it now. I'm Ariel. The Lion of God, Commander of the Avenging Angels, as well as an Archangel. Then I was appointed as the angel of music after Lucifer fell and recently the Angel of Death. Okay don't run off and scream in terror. Yes I am the Angel of Death, but no I do not wait by your bedside for you to die. All right maybe I sometimes do, but that's not the point. I don't kill people I merely take the dearly departed souls to be judged. No matter how I put it you're still going to freak out.

            Our former Angel of Death Azrael was cast out to the end for conspiring with the former prince of angels (Lucifer) so they could overthrow God, again. He is now an angel turned demon, and he was my best friend. I almost took the fall for him. All evidence pointed towards me, but Azrael was still inside there somewhere. With the belt of truth he could not lie. Azrael confessed everything. My honor was restored and he was gone. Someone had to be appointed Angel of Death. Azrael once described it as a curse. An Angel does not belong in The End, there are things down there that play with your mind. They will twist and contort you into something evil and grotesque. That's what happened to Azrael and to all other Angels of Death before him. That is what would happen to me. I was the friend of a monster and therefore just as responsible as he was for the conspiring. Though I wasn't stripped of my rank of status I was given the title Angel of Death. _DO NOT TRUST US. WE WILL COME FOR YOU. DO NOT TRUST US. WE WILL TURN ON YOU. DO NOT TRUST US. WE WILL END YOU!_

WELCOME TO YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE!

GOOD LUCK FACING YOUR FEARS!

**❂❂❂❂**

“The Angel of Death had turned on us once again!” Michael shouted as he pounded his fist on the table sending particles of stone flying into the air and causing Raphael to flinch. “Normally this kind of evil takes years to form. It has only been six months and already she is already foaming at the mouth.” Michael collapsed into his marble throne. Silence met his angry outburst as the other archangels sought an answer.

            “The evil in that place is growing stronger everyday as more people turn away,” Seraphiel sighed her blues eyes were dead and appeared exhausted.

            “Ariel is strong. Maybe she can fight it off,” Raphael suggested. Raphael was Ariel and Michael’s brother. He would not accept that she was going dark side.

            “You know she can't Raphael. The End has poisonous influences that no angel can hope to fight off. There is no hope for her. Ariel is already lost to us,” Michael replied softly.

            “So now we've lost one of our strongest fighters and the Commander of the Avenging Angels?”

            “I'm afraid so.”

            “This is hopeless,” Raphael moaned with his head in his hands. “Evil is spreading too fast. What I don't get is how they are gaining control so easily. This was supposed to be the age of rebirth. The flood was supposed to take care of everything. Same with the death of the Son. I don't understand.”

            “Don't you see! This is the end! The End is taking everything that we have ever worked on. How I do not know. But there must be some way to stop them!” Jophiel burst out. The Archangel had been quiet throughout the whole meeting. He had been closer to Ariel than anyone else.

            “Is there nothing we can do?” Seraphiel asked.

            “Not nothing. We can hope and pray.” Michael replied collapsing into his seat.

            “What about the Nephilim? Could we reach out to them? It’s their job to know what happens in the Shadow World. Would they know what’s been happening?” Raphael suggested.

            “Many of the Nephilim don’t believe that they descended from us anymore,” Jophiel sighed. “We can’t put our faith in them.”

            “But some of them have seen Raziel. They have seen the angel that created them. How can they refuse to believe?”

            “You would have us put our faith in some Shadowhunters that aren’t even adults yet Raphael?” Raphael raised his head to meet Jophiel’s burning gaze. “We can’t trust them. What have they ever done for us?”

            “That is enough Jophiel!” Michael shouted as he stood from his seat. Jophiel shrunk back. “We will send word to the Nephilim. Though I highly doubt that they will be much of a help. We don’t even know how they are faring in their war with the demons. All that we know is that the shield surrounding Earth in breaking. There is not much hope for them. But as Raphael said maybe they will know something. Let’s not get our hopes up though; we may have to fight this battle on our own.”

**❂❂❂❂**

            Death and blood are all I see as the shell I inhabit wanders around Hell. There is nothing worse than being trapped in a body that in no longer in your own control. As the darkness has penetrated my body it will also penetrate my mind. Ouriel is using he newfound powers to change former angels. I am now a fallen angel. He wants me for himself. I can feel him probe my mind looking for a hint of my still being there. He always finds me. The feeling is slippery and seductive. Though I will never give in until I am no longer in control of myself. They know I’m in here. They know I still cling to my body. Ouriel won’t stop torturing me until I no longer exist. Until I am nothing except a monster that he can control. I....

Feel....

Him....

He’s.....

Here................................................................................

**_I know you’re in there Ariel! I will find you!_ **

**_I will not give up Ouriel!_ **

**_Everything went dark._ **

**❂❂❂❂**

  


“The Clave is corrupt! Don’t you understand that Alec? Maybe not all, but most. They’ve been corrupt for years, but no one has realized it. There are power hungry Shadowhunters out there. They will do anything to get power. Even if it means turning on their own like Valentine and Sebastian.” Jace cautiously rubbed the place over his heart where the mark that Sebastian used to control him. Alec just stared defiantly back at Jace. While Alec’s blue eyes showed a calmness not normal for his age Jace’s eyes flared with anger. The two were parabati. Blood brothers. They were “family”. Even that didn’t keep them from going at each other’s throats, ever since Alec had almost got himself murdered by the newly turned vampire Maureen. Alec had been hoping to get information out of his former boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend, Camille, the head of the vampire clan in Brooklyn.

“Will you two quit it!” Victoria Carstairs shouted from the darkest corner of the library. She had been a ward of the Institutes for quite a while and was like family to them all. She was still recovering from the recent demon poison that had been in her veins which caused sensitivity to light. “You have been going at this for hours. Why not let Maryse take care? Why must we worry about it? In case you haven’t realized we all almost died within the past two months, and others were under the influence of the most vindictive man in the whole entire world! Could we please just give it a rest?” Victoria brought her hands to her temples and slowly began to massage them.

“Vic you don’t have to be in here,” Alec said gently.

“Well I can’t exactly be anywhere else. Currently I can’t sleep. I can’t eat without puking it back up, and all my senses have been heightened. So whether or not I was on the opposite side of the Institute I would still have to listen to you two go at it. So why not be in here where I can give you my two cents?’

“Are you sure we don’t need to send for Brother Zachariah?” Jace asked.

“I’m fine,” she growled. “Get on with your bickering. I’m just going to stay in this nice musty corner.” Victoria slowly pulled off her black sunglasses to reveal eyes that were severely dilated with silver iris’ that gleamed in the darkness. Though no one could see them since she was in that dusty corner of the Library.

“Vic the reason why it is our concern is because the whole Sebastian problem directly influences us all. He has a creepy thing for you and Clary,” Jace continued. Clary who had been silent throughout the whole meeting flinched as she remembered the hunger in Sebastian’s eyes as he stared her. What was even worse was that Sebastian was Clary’s full-blooded brother. Victoria didn’t react. “Maryse can’t protect us right now because she is dealing with the Consul. Even the Consul knows that the Clave is corrupt and she is trying to do something about it, but what they are not going to do is give the Institute extra security. The Consul would be wise not to trust basically anyone right now; in addition there is demon activity every. They are finding a way through the defenses that once protected this dimension the Clave knows that they need every single Shadowhunter available so that they can be sent out at a moment’s notice to protect the mundies.”

“I just am not willing to believe that this has happened to us. That the people we once trusted have turned on us. What is happening to this world?” Alec placed his head in his hands. A sure sign of defeat.

**❂❂❂❂**

“Zeus we must go to their aid! Without us they will all die! And the world will once again fall to the giants!” Artemis argued with her father. As goddess of the hunt and the leader of a demigod pact called the Hunters, Artemis was eager to aid those who followed her.

“She is right father,” Apollo, Artemis’ twin brother, stood up from his throne on Mount Olympus, “They have aided us countless of times. Died for us. Why can we not protect our children?”

“Because,” the lord of the sky growled, “I need time to think. In case you haven’t noticed my _wife_ went behind our backs to trade two of our most valuable leaders in Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter.” Hera flinched beside her husband. It was true that she erased Jason Grace’s and Percy Jackson’s memories, but she had thought it for the best so that the prophecy would be fulfilled.

“Well it is time we helped! You open those gates now or I swear there will be hell to pay father,” Artemis threatened with steel in her eyes.

“Very well,” Zeus caved, “but this time it is different something stronger is at work. We all will most likely die once and for all. Are you all ready to accept the risks that come with opening this door so that we made aid our children?” All of the gods that were present gave a silent nod. “So be it.”

**❂❂❂❂**

There had been no word from those on the Argo II since the seven demigods had warned Chiron of the attack that would be coming from the Roman demigods. Chiron was beginning to worry, but it was time look every inch of the leader that he was so that the Camp Counselors meeting could go on. He eased his horse body into his magical wheelchair and pushed himself to the meeting room where a Ping-Pong table served as their round table. When this camp had first started there would only have been twelve others present to represent the twelve Olympians; now there was twenty present. Eight new cabins were added after the Second Olympian Ware. Luke Castellan, former counselor of the Hermes Cabin, had betrayed the gods and his family. In his last few minutes as Kronos began to take over his body did he find the error in his ways and killed himself. His last request was made to Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, that no half-bloods would remain unclaimed and not have a cabin to go to. This was still a work-in-progress, which would have to be stopped so that they could all prepare for battle. Chiron did a quick headcount; only seventeen of the twenty were present. Chiron knew that two were with Argos II, but where was the third?

“Will?” Chiron asked. Will Solace, the counselor of the Apollo cabin, quickly came to attention. “Have you seen Victoria?”

“I haven’t seen her all week Chiron. She said that she had a few things to take care of in Brooklyn. I thought she would have told you.” Will answered.

“Well, I did know, but she said she would be back by now.”

“I don’t know then. She told me not to call,” Will sighed. Victoria kept few secrets, but when she did it was for the sake of everyone. Chiron knew that these secrets tended to put a strain on Will and Victoria’s relationship.

“I’ll give her a call later. She ought to be here right now.” Chiron quickly wheeled to the head of the pool table next to Victoria’s empty chair and Thalia, who was Artemis’ second-in-command as well as the counselor for the Artemis’ cabin. “I am afraid I have grave news. Percy and Annabeth have recently notified me that the Romans intend to attack this camp very soon. It seems as though Leo made them pretty angry when he fired upon them with Argos II’s cannon, but he was also possessed by an Eidolon. Which caused him to do these things.” A panicked look passed over all the counselors faces. They knew that they did not stand a chance; Camp Jupiter was twice the size of Camp Half-Blood. They didn’t stand a chance. “Please don’t panic. Percy also said that Reyna the leader of the Romans will do everything in her power to slow the attack. She doesn’t want any more blood to be shed, but Octavian their “prophet” pushes her to move forward. She can only buy us a few days, and Percy had no idea when they will get here.”

“So we prepare for war,” Clarisse La Rue, counselor of the Ares cabin, suggested.

“Yes Clarisse that is exactly what we will do.”

“How long will this go on Chiron? It has been battle after battle these past six years. When will it end?” asked Lou Ellen, counselor for the Hecate cabin.

“I wish I knew Lou. I wish I knew. Please pass this onto all your cabin mates. We are preparing for battle, and this time we will not be fighting monsters, titans, or giants. We will be fighting people who are just like us, but they are much more committed. They will not hesitate to kill you; we will not hesitate to kill them either so that we can protect our home that many of us have given our lives to defend. It saddens me to know that this is what we have come to, but we have no choice. You are dismissed. We will meet again tomorrow to discuss our plan of action.” Chiron quickly wheeled away even as his students shouted after him wanting more details on Argo II’s adventures and on how they were going to take care of the Roman threat. As much as Chiron wanted to give them an answer; he could not. What he needed to do was to get in touch with Victoria. Only Chiron knew what she really was. A daughter of Poseidon and of the Nephilim. She had been trained in the ways of the immortals so that she could harness her aura. She was stronger than anyone knew.

Chiron rolled up to the Big House’s landline and quickly dialed Victoria’s number hoping she would pick up.

**❂❂❂❂**

Victoria quickly pulled her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans and rushed out of the library when she saw the Big House’s name pop up on the screen. All four Shadowhunters stared after her, but then went on squabbling.

“Hello,” Victoria wheezed into the phone.

“Victoria?”

“Hey Chiron,” she gave a wobbly smile knowing that her voice sounded scratchy and weak.

“I know that you needed to take care of some things in Brooklyn, but we need you back at camp now. The Romans plan on attacking us soon.” Victoria swore under her breath.

“I can’t come back yet. Currently I’m recovering from poisoning that almost killed me. I’m not quite out of the woods yet.” Victoria let out a wet cough that tasted of blood. She quickly brought her left hand to her mouth only to find it scarlet with blood. “Chiron,” another cough. This time the blood came pouring out of her mouth and she became dizzy. Her knees gave out beneath her and she dropped her cell phone which gave a big resounding crack that echoed throughout the stone hallway. Another cough. More blood. Victoria could hear Chiron’s panicked voice on the phone before it died. Alec threw the doors to the library.

“Victoria!” Alec ran to her side his blue eyes searching her green ones. Alec took a sharp breath. The whites of her eyes were black with blood which slowly began to drip down her face, and her iris’ were a gleaming silver. The blood continued to pour from her mouth as she whispered to him. Then she blacked out.

**❂❂❂❂**

Magnus Bane had just gotten out of the shower when his phone. He quickly wrapped a towel around his naked waist and lazily grabbed the phone. “This is the most wondrous Magnus Bane how may I help your wretched mortal soul?”

            “That is a lovely way to answer a phone Magnus,” replied the caller. Magnus’ cheery disposition cooled.

            “What do you want Alexander Lightwood?” He asked.

            “It’s Victoria she’s taken a turn for the worse,” Alec sounded worried on the other end. Magnus felt something pull at his heart.

            “What has that got to do with me? Seeing as we broke up I no longer have to help you with you petty Nephilim problems. Call in one of your Silent Brothers I am sure that they can help you.” Magnus went to hang up.

            “No,” Alec shouted, “Victoria said that the Silent Brothers can’t help her; she said only you can. She said that without your help she would die. She said that it was just like what some guy named James Carstairs had except much worse.” Magnus was silent on the other end. “Magnus?”

            “I’ll be there a.s.a.p.,” and with that Magnus hung up leaving Alec speechless on the other end. Magnus quickly put on regular jeans and a t-shirt. He didn’t bother to try to look like his normal flamboyant self. He left his penthouse without a smidge of makeup on and with his hair still wet and wild. This is something that Magnus never does.

**❂❂❂❂**

There was a loud series of knocks on the Institutes doors. Jace jumped up from his seat and opened them for Magnus. Without a word Jace took off running toward the infirmary with Magnus right behind. The tension in Jace’s shoulders and the set of his jawline made Magnus even more worried. How bad could it be? He remembered when another young Herondale had begged Magnus to help him and the women he loved find a cure for his parabati’s sickness. James Carstairs was dying. In the end Magnus had not found it all. No one had. Magnus did not know what Victoria expected him to do for her. She knew that he didn’t know what to do. Magnus had no idea how to help the one of the only surviving Carstairs. If there would only be one Carstairs left... Two. One, and she was only fourteen and grieving.. If Victoria died, so did the only person that really understood him.

Jace and Magnus reached the sterile infirmary. Everything was white except for the bed that Victoria laid on. The once pristine white sheets were now covered in scarlet blood. Victoria was still with eyes wide and mouth open. Every once in a while a shiver would pass over her body. Magnus rushed over to her side and gently laid his hand on her forehead only to quickly bring it away as if he had been burned. Victoria had a raging fever. Slowly her eyes moved toward Magnus and she gave a weak smile as she tried to blood spurt out of her mouth onto Magnus’ shirt.

“Oh Victoria, what happened to you?” Magnus slowly got on to his knees and brushed her strawberry blonde hair away from her face. Another shiver. Maybe more of a seizure. Her sickness had progressed faster than Jem’s had, but she had different blood in her system. Half-god, part-angel, and a good amount of human blood in there. This was different than James’ sickness although the same Magnus was not sure how he could help, but Victoria seemed certain that he could help. Magnus muttered a quick spell over her that would allow her lungs to be clear for only a few minutes.

“Victoria,” Magnus whispered to her in Ancient Greek, "can you hear me?"

"Yes," she whispered. Her voice cracked. “Magnus. Help me.” The poor girl was frightened, but this fear was not one that he had ever seen in Victoria. She had always been the strong one. Never showing too much emotion; should she ever be hurt again.

“My dear, what do you expect me to do? You know that I know not what the cure is,” Magnus cried in sloppy Ancient Greek. Victoria had just taught it to him, but Magnus knew that Victoria would not want the other’s to know what they were saying to each other. She snatched Magnus’ hand that was now at his side and squeezed it.

“Thing is Magnus I believe in you.” Another weak smile. “You would figure something out if I had not thought of something first.” Another cough. More blood. Her body went rigid. His spell was wearing off.

“Victoria? What is it?” He shouted at the sick girl switching to English. She stared at him with glassy green eyes.

“Time....,” she gasped. “Travel.” Her hand went slack.

“Victoria?” Magnus shook Victoria. There was no response, only the faint rise of her chest as she breathed in and out.

“What did she meant ‘time travel’?” Isabelle asked quietly. Magnus lifted his gold cat-like eyes to her chocolate brown ones. There was an ache in Magnus’ core as he glanced around the room at all the weary Shadowhunters. They were all so young, and had seen so much death. How could they lose yet another loved one? Though Victoria may not be family by blood, the Lightwoods, the Herondale, the Fairchilds, and the Carstairs had always been connected somehow.

“She meant exactly that young Miss Lightwood,” Magnus stood up slowly like an old man.

“But there is no such magic,” Jace put in. They were all too worried about Victoria to even care that they had been speaking in a different language.

“Maybe not to the Nephilim, but there are some who harness its ability. The ability to control time takes practice. Years of it. This form of magic is not one that...” Magnus cut himself off. Victoria would not want that. “If Victoria has not told you I suspect that she would not wish me to either.” No reaction. They like William Solace were used to secrets kept by one of their dearest friends.

“Why would she suggest it then? I mean are you one of the few that you spoke of?” This time it was Clarissa. Though Clary had not known Victoria very long she knew how worried Jace was, but she herself had grown to think of Victoria as a sister.

Magnus grew tired of all the questions. “Could you just trust me and Victoria,” he growled at them. The ferocity in his eyes made all the Nephilim take a step back, but it quickly turned to despair and fear. For once he was not a warlock. Magnus was just a young man grieving for a friend and trying to save her life. They did not know what this girl goes through every day to keep them safe. Her family. The world safe. Just had almost given her life up for them on more than one occasion, and very well might lose her life this time. Magnus was the one that she came to in times of trouble. It was either him, Nicholas, or Chiron. The only ones she truly trusted with her secrets. He stroked his jaw silently in thought with his eyes narrowed. “I apologize for my outburst, but now I need to talk to Clarissa. Privately.” Jace glanced at the girl he loved as she gave a small nod.

“What about Vi-” Alec started.

“She’ll be fine with me,” Magnus replied not looking in Alec’s direction. He only had eyes for the blood that began to drip out of Victoria’s mouth. This bothered him. What made this so much worse? In the past week Victoria had declined faster than James ever had or would have had he not been on the drug that prolonged his life, but killed him at the same time. Magnus gently lifted her eyelid and revealed what he had most feared. Already her pupils were silver, and silver slowly streaked her red hair, and her skin was becoming more and more white, and that was difficult to do. Would she become his own version of Snow White?

“All right then,” Alec said quietly. Magnus jumped. He’d forgotten that Alec had been standing there. He left the infirmary leaving Magnus alone with two red-headed females.

“Magnus?” Clary asked cautiously.

“Miss Morgenstern... Fairchild... Fray? Clarissa there is no need to speak to me as if you are approaching a wild animal. I am not wounded. I am merely upset by the fact that your brother has done this to her, and that if she dies I will lose one of my dearest friends. She knows me better than Alec, and has known me much longer than you all have. So Clarissa even though I may appear to be fragile now, I have to be strong. I have to be strong for her just as she has been for me. You have my word Clarissa that I will save her even if I die trying. I will save her just as she has saved me from myself so many times.” Clary was taken aback by Magnus’ show of emotion and care. She had always associated him with being carefree and not really caring about anything and anyone besides Alec.

“And I will help you help her,” Clary replied softly. “But how can I help, Magnus? What can I do?”

“Clarissa. Do you still underestimate yourself? You have no idea how powerful you are. Unlike Jace you may not have the physical traits of the angel, but you do have the art. You can create runes. This is why I need your help.” Clary’s eyes widened. “With the ability of time travel it takes a very powerful aura-”

“Aura?”

“That will take too long to explain. Basically to be able to control time it takes a massive amount of energy. So when one person, that person being me, does this form of magic their aura is massively depleted. This magic can only be done once year and the portal can only stay open for a few minutes. What I need you to do it to make a ruin that will keep the portal open as long as possible.” Clary remained calm throughout this conversation. While she wasn’t entirely sure how to create this rune she would try.

“I will try Magnus.” Magnus nodded and left the room swiftly leaving Victoria in the hands of Clarissa.

**❂❂❂❂**

“Fleming’s bookstore. How may I help you?” A man in about his fifties answered the phone in his and his wife’s bookstore in San Francisco.

“Is this Nicholas Flamel?” A young man inquired on the other end of the line. The man brought the phone away from his ear and looked at the area code of which the call came from. Brooklyn, New York. That’s where Victoria lives.

“To whom am I speaking?” The man asked.

The young man let out a sigh of relief. “My name is Magnus Bane.” Nicholas almost dropped the phone. He knew that Victoria would never have Bane contact him unless it was an emergency.

“What’s wrong with her?” Nicholas asked. Perenelle’s, Nick’s wife, head snapped to attention her black her charging with white electricity. The minute she heard the panic in her husband’s voice she felt that same panic. Nick’s face turned ashen, and his whole body began to shake. “I-I understand. We’ll be on the next flight out. And Bane take good care of her.” Nicholas hung up the phone.

Perenelle stood up and laid a gentle hand upon his trembling shoulder. “Sweetheart what is it?”

“Victoria, she- she’s been poisoned. The Shadowhunters have done everything they possibly can, but there is demon blood running through her veins.” Perenelle took in a sharp breath.

“That will kill her Nicholas. She cannot die!” Perenelle cried. Victoria had become the daughter that she never had. They were family. “How can we help?”

“Bane says that time travel may be able to help, but he needs more than one person. He can’t do it by himself. He says in needs Josh and Sophie.”

Perenelle nodded in understanding. “They would do it for her.”

“Yes. Yes they would.” Nicholas picked up the phone again to call one of the most powerful people in the whole world.

**❂❂❂❂**

In this world I wander there is only pain and suffering. Even in my own mind, but my mind no longer inhabits my body. My spirit merely wanders the dream world, but there is no one here. How can this be? Do mundanes no longer dream?

“Help me,” someone whispers from the darkness. I jump.

“Who’s there?” I ask.

“My name is Victoria Carstairs.” The name sounded familiar, but I could not place it. “Who are you?”

“I’m Ariel.” There was a pause before the girl answered.

“The Angel of Music?” Not many were familiar with my name unless they were Nephilim.

“Yes, I believe you call it, but not many know my name unless they are Nephilim. Are you?” Another pause.

“Yes,” Victoria gave a wet cough. “Should there not be others here too?” I looked around the darkness; seeing nothing but tendrils of smoke. When I had traveled here before it was always full of dreams. What had happened?

“There should be, but something has happened.”

“Do you know?”

“No I do not.” She gave another cough. “But normally people are not aware when they are here. How are you?”

“Maybe because I’m not dreaming, but dying. Are you dying?”

“Only my spirit is here child. Only my spirit.” Victoria was gone.

**❂❂❂❂**

Chiron had received a call from Magnus Bane detailing Victoria’s condition. Chiron would give anything to be able to help the girl now, but there was nothing he could do. He also had two-hundred other campers to think about. William would want to know, but with this battle coming they will need every medic that they have. He needs to know. Chiron rolled himself to the intercom that reached the whole camp. “William Solace to the Big House please. It’s urgent.” It was a few minutes before Will burst through the door with his medic bag still in his hands.

“Is- is it about Victoria?” He gasped for air. Chiron nodded slowly and gestured for the young man to take a seat on the sofa.

“William, Victoria is very sick. She was poisoned with something that there is no cure to or none that anyone knows of. She does not have very much time, but the people that she is with are taking very good care of her and are doing everything in their power to save her from this sickness. But without this cure she will die.” Chiron let his words sink in. Will doubled over and put his head in his hands. The boy loved this girl just as she did him. He could not lose her.

“Chiron I have to go to her. I won’t let her die alone,” he whispered.

“Will, she won’t be alone. She is with friends.” But Will was persistent.

“I can help her!” He shouted. How quickly despair can turn to anger and then back to despair.

“She would want you to stay here so that you could help with the injured when this battle occurs. She would not forgive you if you let a single camper die that could have been helped had you been here. You have to trust me on this Will. You would not want to see her the way she is now. Just hold onto the memories that you have of her now and pray.”

“I have to go!”

“William! Victoria would not want it,” Chiron replied calmly. Will just stood up from the sofa and walked out of the Big House slamming the door shut behind him causing Chiron to flinch. Teenagers these days had tempers that could match the gods, and that was very hard to do. Chiron returned to his office to continue going over the maps of the camp so that at their war council later this evening there may be some sort of plan ready.

After hours of reviewing the campers suggestions for defense there came a knock at his door. Chiron rubbed his eyes before allowing the visitor to enter. A man entered wearing purple running shorts and a leopard spotted Hawaiian shirt. The visitor had a rather youthful face though you could not tell from the strained expression on his face that caused his normally ruddy cheeks to not have any color. This man had also not touched a goblet of wine in months and the roundness of his face had been lost. Dionysus was no longer the same god that he once was. The normally carefree god now looked as though he had the weight of the world upon his shoulders and looked more like a god than a friend.

“Dionysus?” Chiron was shocked that the wine god was here. Zeus had closed off Olympus how was it that he was here. “How are you back?”

“Zeus has opened the gates of Olympus once more after many months of arguing on all of our parts,” Dionysus slowly pushed his hands through his curly black hair and sat down one of the leather chairs that was across from Chiron. “I’m afraid that I come bearing bad news regarding the campers on Argos II.” Dionysus paused taking a deep breath before explaining the events that had unfolded after they had lost contact. “They freed Nico, but at the cost of Perseus and Annabeth. Annabeth had one of Arachne’s webs caught around her foot and she was pulled into Tartarus. Mr. Jackson caught her hand, but was also pulled in. They fell into Tartarus Chiron and will have to fight their way through every single monster that they have ever slain to get to the Doors of Death. They will most likely not make it out alive, but I put my faith into them when they were children. They are capable of so much more now than they ever were then, and now they have something to fight for. They will fight for each other so that one day they can grow old and have two point five children. They said these things as they fell, Chiron.”

Chiron felt cold to the core. Three of his camper’s lives were hanging in the balance and there was nothing he could do. The life of the demigod was never and easy one, but lately it seemed that there was just death upon death upon death. Almost all of the camp counselors were replaced in the middle of the Titan War last summer. Like his campers Chiron was getting tired of the fighting he remembered a time when there was peace and that his campers didn’t have to worry about another approaching battle.

“How’d you know?” He asked quietly.

“We’ve been watching their progress and aiding them in whatever way possible. It was Mr. Jackson’s and Miss Chase’s fate that caused the anger that was inside all of us to boil to the surface. We’re back to help. Though I’m not sure what big of a help we will be now. I will do whatever I can to protect these campers. I swear.” Chiron nodded.

“The war council meeting in a few minutes. Would you care to join?”

“I would love to,” Dionysus sighed and walked around Chiron’s desk and pushed him to the deck where Chiron got out of his chair and was his centaur self again. Slowly one white leg appeared at a time revealing the body of a white stallion. “I’d never thought I’d say this, but I’ve missed this place, my friend.” With that the pair headed toward the amphitheater. For once this war council would not only be between the counselors, but between all the campers.


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things happen and we learn a little more about Victoria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back I hope that you enjoy.

** Chapter One **

**Victoria**

            As I walked the halls of the Institute everything was black and white. I suppose that is what it would be like as you wander your home in the dream realm. But is it the dream realm? Or is it where people go before they die? I know I’m dying I can feel my life force slowly draining and it becomes harder to keep my ghostly eyes open in this place. If I just close them will I feel the pain no longer? The pain is unbearable. The fragile connection that I still have with my body brings back every cough and body spasm that my body has. I can hear them talking about me. Magnus telling them that it is my secret to tell them when I can, but will I ever get the chance to? Magnus protects me even though he knows that there is only a sliver of a chance that I will make it through this.

            I pass Church, our fluffy gray cat who is over one hundred years old, his eyes seem to follow me. Maybe he can see me; from what I understand is that around 1878 he was being used as a sacrifice by the Dark Sisters, who were warlocks, but then my ancestor and Jace’s ancestor saved him, James Carstairs and William Herondale. I guess some pretty strong magic was used on Church because he comes up to me and purrs, maybe he can see the dead. I continue past Church. Something is tugging at me and I have to follow it even as Church yowls at me. I throw a glance behind me and smile at him only then does he calm down.

            I hear ghostly piano music playing in the ballroom. Is that where I was meant to go? I don’t have to push the door, I just pass through the oak doors. The piano lies in the center of the massive ballroom that had not be used in two years.  Such beautiful dances and parties used to be held here. The painted mosaic of two angels reaching out to each other is shrouded in the dark. The shadows seemed to be cowering from the only light that comes from two people with angel wings protruding from their backs. I flinched away from the light. Angels? How could such magnificent beings be in our Institute? Slowly I made my way to the piano where the two sat. From their builds I could tell that one was a woman and the other a man. I tried my best to stay out of their light for every time I touched it I could feel the poison in my blood writhe in pain. I walked around the piano hoping to get a glimpse at their faces. But I knew them already. These two angels were my angels. Jonathan Christopher Herondale-Lightwood and Clarissa Adele Fray-Morgenstern. Jace slowly tapped away at the piano as Clary laid her curly red head on his shoulder. Tear stains could be seen on both their faces. Was I so deathly ill that they would cry over me. Their light stretched towards me causing me to cry out in pain and leap back. Jace’s playing faltered as he looked around him.

            “Did you hear that?” Jace asked. Clary nodded slowly and quickly scanned the room with her green eyes. Green and Gold were looking for me.

            “Hello? Jace?” I called. Jace jerked his head around and his gold eyes narrowed and searched where I was standing.

            “Who’s there?” He shouted. The light around him quickly expanded as if protecting Jace from and evil presence which I suppose is me. I was caught in the light once more and fell to my knees in pain. Jace and Clary’s eyes widened. They could see me? “Victoria,” Jace whispered in wonder. I let out a whimper. It burned. Their gazes. Their light. I stepped out of the light, but it kept stretching and reaching for me. Was it trying to reclaim me?

            “Victoria, please stop running,” Jace pleaded with me, but if he knew how much pain he caused me would he then tell me not to run? They stood up simultaneously, so quickly that their movements were just blurs, causing the piano bench to fall over. Another surge of power coming faster and faster towards me. Soon I was backed into the corner of the ballroom with nowhere else to go. I sobbed as the light touched and burned me. My veins were on fire and there was no hope of escaping the pain.

            “Please tell the light to go away!” I cried through my pain. Jace gave Clary a confused look before whispering something to her. She nodded before giving me a pitying look and left the room slowly shutting the door behind her. As she left so did some of the light leaving me in my own dark corner, and leaving me alone with one of my dearest friends who happens to be an angel. Jace took a cautious step towards me. The light did not follow him. He kneeled in front of me his inner light forming a glow around him and his wings folded into his back.

            “Jace you have wings,” I whispered in awe. He raised his eyebrows and smiled.

            “I think your sickness is causing you to hallucinate Tori, but at least you’re getting better. I wonder how you snuck by the ever watchful eyes of your nurse, Isabelle. Let’s get you back to the infirmary.” He reached for my hands so that he could pull me to my feet, and I tried to give them to him hoping for a brief moment that I was solid and that he would be able to pick me up just like he had when we were younger. I hoped with all my heart that he would and that the reason why I could only distinguish one color from all the other grays was because he was Jace. Someone that I loved for a very long time. Because he was my family and so was Clary. I hoped that this was just a nightmare that I would wake up from, and that the wings were just a figment of my own imagination, but some things cannot be and we all are let down. His hands passed right through my dull gray ones. Jace lost his balance and landed on his back. I knew he would, but a girl can hope.

            “Are you dead?”

            I shook my head. “No. I can still feel a connection to my body. I can feel every single cough and shudder.” I brought my knees to my chest and hugged them. “Do you hold your light at bay?”

            “What?”

            “I told you that you had wings in this world that I’m in. You and Clary both, and then you both have this light that surrounds you and it burns me.”

            “Is that why you ran from me?” I simply nodded. “How can I see you?”

“Well, William Herondale could see ghosts. Maybe you got that talent from his side of the family. Or maybe it’s because you have more angel blood in you.” I shrugged unsure of what else I could say.

“Tori you’re fading away,” Jace exclaimed. I looked down at my hands they seemed no less there than they were before.

“Maybe only to you, but I am here and I am not leaving.”

“Victoria! Tori!” Obviously he could no longer see me.

I stood up slowly, leaving Jace by himself wondering what had just happened.

**❂❂❂❂**

Does this darkness that I wander have a name? The halls of the Institute which used to give me warmth and a sense of belonging now make me realize that I am alone in this black and white world. A world in which none wander, but I. Do those who are on the brink of death wander here? Or am I truly and utterly alone. This feeling is not one that I wished to remember for I thought I had left it behind and replaced it with strength and courage. When your worst fear comes back don’t the feelings which you accompany with fear come back too? We all have that one fear that is not a something; its a feeling. My fear is being alone.

**❂❂❂❂**

            _“Sweetheart, wake up,” My mother urged me gently as as shook my shoulders. I slowly opened my eyes and wiped the sleep out of them meeting my mommy’s blue eyed gaze. “Happy seventh birthday honey.” She smiled brightly at me._

_“But Mommy it's not my birthday. Tomorrow is Halloween so that means that there is about a month until my birthday,” I chirped._

_“I know, but we’re going to celebrate early.” She gently touched my face. “Now get dressed and then meet us all in the dining room we are going on a road trip to London.”_

_“Will I get to ride the Eye?” I asked._

_“Of course!” She laughed. It was the sound of fluttering bells. She always had the best laugh. “It’s your birthday, and we are going to do all of you favorite things. Now get dressed silly.” Mom exited my bedroom and left me sitting there alone._

_I quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and black t-shirt. I grabbed the hair tie from around my wrist a scooped my hair into a ponytail when I heard the sound of shattering glass and screams from my little brother, James. There was a hissing and slithering sound._

_“Where is the girl?” Someone hissed. The hairs on my arms raised for it sounded as if many someones were speaking at once._

_“There is no girl here,” my father shouted. More screams came from James who was only three._

_“Please don’t hurt him he is only a baby!” My mother shrieked. James’ screams became more constant until they stopped. The silence was then accompanied by my mother’s screams of outrage, fear, and despair. They were that of a battle cry. Slowly I sank to the crowd with tears streaming down my face and a hand clamped around my mouth as the shouting and screaming continued._

_Then there was silence. There was nothing. I waited for dad to come pick me up, smooth my hair back, and tell me that everything would be alright. He never came. I sat there huddled in the corner of the room for hours. Or maybe it was days. I began to feel a gnawing pit of hunger in my stomach, but I would not leave. They would come for me. They always have. Thirst. Water._

_My mouth became dry and the light faded and came back up again three times before I finally got up. Would they be there as if nothing had happened or would the be gone? Did they leave me alone to play a joke? A sick and cruel joke? No they were not ones to do so._

_I slowly pushed my bedroom door open. The hallway was littered with glass from our picture frames and the pictures themselves had been shredded to tiny pieces. I picked my way around the glass wincing every time a piece would crack underneath my foot. Deep gouges decorated our blue walls. The white paint which was revealed underneath the blue had now been dyed a horrible ugly brown. There was an awful smell that almost made me lose what little I had in me. I approached the front hall. The french doors were kicked in and the glass chandelier now lay on the floor crushing something underneath its weight._

_This something was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. Once it appeared to be a man, and then something slimy and reptilian. The image would waver before my eyes. The slimy reptilian man creature had a glowing blade stuck in its head. I approached it with caution and a pulled the blade out of its head. The blade seemed to glow even brighter. I dropped it as the black blood that covered the tip dripped onto my hand and burned me. I moved on from the reptilian creature only to stumble across my family. My mother, my father, and James were on the ground next to each other with hands gently laid at their sides. I sank to my knees next to them and gently stroked James’ face. He was cold and that was when I knew that they would not be waking up. I stroked his black hair away from his forehead before whispering the words that my mother had taught me to say if anything happened to them._

_“Ave Atque Vale James Enright. Ave Atque Vale Anastasia Carstairs Enright. Ave Atque Vale Benjamin Enright.” My mother told me to be strong and that if they all died I was not to sit down and cry like a normal child. For I am not normal. I would get up and dial the number on our phone that she’d given me and these people would help me, and I did._

_“Hello,” said a woman on the other end. “Who is this?”_

_“My name is Victoria Carstairs and my mom said that if I ever needed help to call you.”_

_“Where is your mother-Victoria?” She stuttered._

_“On the ground. My brother, my mother, and my father are all dead,” I whispered. Only then did I cry as she asked me to explain._

_“Everything is going to be alright sweetheart, I promise. There will be people there soon who will help you, and I will be one of them,” the woman tried to comfort me. Though she herself sounded close to tears._

_“I don’t even know your name though.”_

_“My name is Maryse Lightwood, and I was a very close friend of your mother’s.”_

**❂❂❂❂**

The Lightwoods became my family after that. I stayed in touch with my dad’s family. Though I suppose he isn’t my dad after all. The Enright’s had been nothing but kind to me, but somehow they knew that I did not belong with them. From a young age I knew that as well. I am not human, and I am less than half human. Less human than Magnus, which is saying something. I am half god and I have a little bit of angel blood in me which makes me Nephilim and not human. I belong to neither world. Do I belong anywhere? I suppose many teenagers ask themselves this same question. I have met many of those teens.

I am Victoria Carstairs, Princess Victoria of Rome, Marion Styles, and Katriane Phoenix. I’ve been royalty. I’ve been a beggar. I’ve been a warrior, a lady, a revolutionary, and a politician. Over many lifetimes, and I shall never find rest. I always find myself dead the day before my eighteenth birthday. The day that I would become immortal. I have lived so many lives that I find it hard to keep track of the memories. My memories never show themselves until I turn ten, but with no one to tell you what they mean or how to interpret them you can go insane.

I was ten when I first met Magnus Bane in this lifetime. I would have these flashes of memories that would not stop. Always playing and never ending. I would wake up screaming after watching people that I had loved die before me. The feelings were there and I could feel all the pain and loss that I’d felt in that moment. I felt myself die when those memories came up. There was the one where Klaus, werewolf-vampire hybrid who also happens to be one of the original vampires, drained me of all my blood while Elijah, his brother also a original vampire, sat there and watched with tears streaming down his face. I loved him then, though he swore his love for Katerina Petrova. I felt every single drop leaved my body. So many lifetimes. So many deaths.

I was losing my mind. As a ten year-old I could not handle such pain. Pain that I had recently felt. I committed suicide. Then there was the unfortunate realization that I could breathe underwater. Then there was a young man next to me with yellow cat-eyes. He pulled me out of the water. I knew him from a flash of a vision. This was Magnus Bane a friend.

“Do you know who I am?” He asked.

            I nodded. My wet hair falling into my face. “You’re Magnus Bane. Aren’t you?” Magnus nodded.

            “I’m here to help you in any way possible and I brought along two others that you might remember. They too are here to help you as well.” He gestured for two men to come forward. One in a wheelchair and the other with slicked back black hair. They were familiar and thus I met my tutors Nicholas Flamel and Chiron.

            It was agreed that Nick would escort me to the entrance of the Roman demigod camp, Camp Jupiter, in San Francisco, which is where he lived, under the pretense that he was my mother’s brother and had only recently heard of her death because he had been on a mission’s trip for the past three years. My “family” quickly jumped on the idea to get rid of me. I suppose I was a reminder of the son that they lost. I would never really live with the Enrights; it wasn’t allowed. The Nephilim knew that and they made it seem as if the Enrights had an option. I don’t know how the rest of my life got to be the way it was without the Nephilim intervening. On school days I would stay at the Institute and weekends at Camp Half-Blood with Chiron. Then every other week in the summer I would spend it at the San Francisco Institute to further my training as a Shadowhunter and the other weeks I would stay with Nick and he would help me unlock my abilities as an Immortal. My life was nonstop training to become the ultimate warrior. Someone created to save the world. I became a demigod warrior, a Shadowhunter, someone who can wield their aura, and sometimes just a normal human girl.

            Saving the world? I’ve done that so many times and lost those I’ve loved along the way. Sometimes I’ve wondered if the mundanes need saving. They destroyed the peace that I fought and died for them hundreds of times, and a feeling of resentment and bitterness would rise up in me. But then it is not their fault it is the darkness infiltrates their world and them. Then I am also the reason why the peace was so easily destroyed. I can either be born again into the darkness or into the light. More often than not it is the light, but when in the darkness I long for power and revenge and I’ll do anything to get it. I swore to myself that the second time it happened would be the last time, and for centuries it has been, but now I feel that same lust rising to the top of my being as the poison that Sebastian put into me takes ahold of my body. I drank from the Infernal Cup, though no one knows this.

            I will not die from this sickness. My hair which was red will turn silver and then black, and my eyes as well. I will lose what little color I had and will become as pale as snow. Then I will be under the control of Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern for forever, and believe me that is the last thing that anyone will want. I would become his ultimate weapon once he discovers how much power I truly have. I control earth, air, fire, water, and time. I am a Shadowhunter with the archangel’s mark upon the back of my neck and the mark that all of those related to the Herondales bear on their shoulder. I am the daughter of Neptune, (or Poseidon, but I was born when he was in his Roman aspect), thus I am the Princess of the Sea. I am the reincarnation of so many influential people. What would it be like for you? What would it be like for me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! :)


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which help arrives and there is a little bit of calm before the storm as well as some in fighting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

** Chapter Two **

**Magnus**

            Magnus wasn’t sure whether or not to clue on the Nephilim of whom they were about to face or the secrets that Victoria had been keeping. But he knew that he had to for they needed to know who was going to be at their doorsteps in a matter of minutes. They would be meeting some of the most powerful Immortals of all time. Nicholas Flamel, Perenelle Flamel, Sophie Newman, and Josh Newman aka Marethyu, Death. Magnus left Victoria’s side, leaving her in the capable hands of Isabelle Lightwood, in search of the other Nephilim.

            Magnus took a deep breath of air as he exited the infirmary which smelled of blood. Though it ended up that two of the three Shadowhunters came to him. Clary came up with a bewildered expression on her face before entering the Infirmary after Magnus told her that he wished to speak with all of them. Then came Jace who appeared pale and stricken.

            “Jace?” Magnus asked wearily. Jace’s eyes focused on him.

            “Victoria... ghost,” Jace whispered. Magnus arched his eyebrows and quickly ushered Jace inside and had Clary get him a glass of water before setting off in search of Alec. Alec and Victoria were very close and Magnus knew that Alec would most likely be where Victoria’s presence was. Her favorite place. The Library. Magnus quickly found his way to the Library and found Alec. He was sat at the window seat looking out over Brooklyn. Even though they were broken up Magnus had never loved anyone like he loved Alec. The sun cast a glow around him deepening the contrast between Alec’s black hair and the world around him.

            Magnus cleared his throat. “Sorry to interrupt, but there are some things that we all need to discuss involving Victoria, and how we are going to get her well.” Alec nodded silently before standing and brushing past Magnus without a word.

Magnus let out a sigh of frustration and ran his fingers through his short black hair before pressing them on the side of his nose to relieve the buildup of pressure. As much as he wanted to worry about his no longer existent relationship with Alec he knew that he had to place these thoughts into the very back of his mind if he wanted to help Victoria. He would not lose her again. So many times had they lived together and been each other's family, but then he lost her every time, and it never ceased to be painful even though he knew that he would see her again. Magnus also knew that Victoria would be very young and he would watch her grow up and then die again. He would watch as her youthful eyes would slowly become guarded and frightened for she knew that every time she lived there was no way to escape death.

This was different though. She was only seventeen though her eighteenth birthday was a three months away. This would be the last time that Victoria would be reborn. Magnus was going to make sure that Victoria made it to her birthday this time. She would live, but then cursed like he was. The curse of immortality was one that many people would welcome as a friend. They would view it as a gift. To never age and never die. Though sometimes Magnus did view it as a gift at one point in time now all he sees is death. He'd seen empires rise and fall and he watched as people that he'd come to care about grow old and die around him. Why would anyone want such a curse and call it a gift? This was the question Magnus had asked himself so many times until he finally found the answer. He hadn’t even realized that he knew the answer until a young William Herondale asked him how he had endured so many deaths when his parabati, James Carstairs, was lying on his deathbed. Magnus could remember his answer as if it were yesterday for he had kept these words with him ever since. 'You asked me how I, being immortal, survive so many deaths. There is no great secret. You endure what is unbearable, and bear it. That is all.'

To endure was all Victoria had ever done. She lived every day with the memories of her death and every day she knew she was getting closer and closer to dying again. Though she had stayed strong in the face of fear and death. Magnus knew her better than that. The young Nephilim had never really seen her in emotional pain until the days that followed that battle in Idris. When she had lost someone she called her brother. Maxwell Lightwood. His death brought up the painful memories of losing her family.... but enough of all that. Magnus needed to address several grieving Shadowhunters.

**❂❂❂❂**

            When Magnus walked into the infirmary once more he could tell that the smell of blood had thickened. He quickly rushed to Victoria’s side. He could tell she was becoming more and more pale. Her face was becoming thinner and her cheekbones were becoming more prominent. Magnus took a closer look at her eyes. He gently lifted and eyelid with his fingers. The whites of her eyes were still black with blood and the formerly green eyes which had turned silver had begun to deepen and turn black. This was something that Magnus had never seen before. He let her eyes close and took a final once over of Victoria. The roots of her hair were now turning black. Magnus gasped and took a step back. This was not regular poisoning. Victoria never told any of them what Sebastian had used to get the demon blood in her veins, but now he understood. She had known that there was no hope for her. How could he have not seen it before. The only reason why her hair and eyes had turned silver was because she must have been taking _yin fen_ to hold off the oncoming effects of the poison. Victoria must have been taking major doses of it, but it hadn’t been working. She had taken a drink from the Infernal Cup. She was turning into one of Sebastian’s minions.

            “Magnus, what is it?” Alec asked softly. Only then did Magnus realize that he had been looking down in horror at Victoria for quite a while.

            “She drank from the Infernal Cup,” Magnus whispered as he sat down on the bed behind him and put his head in his hands. Clary gasped in horror. Magnus met every single one of their gazes. Isabelle’s were full of tears. She felt the pain the Victoria was going through as she was brought further and further away from what made her Nephilim. Isabelle and Victoria were parabati after all. “I need one of you to go search Victoria’s room for _yin fen._ It is a silvery powder that may be able to help for a little longer. She’s been taking it without out you guys knowing for quite a while. There is little to nothing that I can do until my help gets here. Soon you will be meeting some of the most powerful human beings ever. More powerful than me. They have known Victoria for quite a while, and I will need you to stay out of their way for there is nothing that you can do for her. I will also need you to call the Silent Brothers here for we will need them. Especially Brother Zachariah.” Magnus flinched inwardly. He hadn’t told them everything but he was sure that they did not need to know that he was going to speak with their ancestors about Victoria.

**❂❂❂❂**

The Silent Brothers and Immortals had arrived at exactly the same time. Nicholas and Perenelle’s faces were pale as they entered the Institute. The last time that Magnus had seen them was seven years ago. There seemed to be new lines on both their faces and new streaks of gray throughout Nicholas’ black hair. Then came Sophie. She had aged well over the thousands of years she had been alive though she had finally accepted immortality at the age of twenty-one. Her blue eyes were wide but her jaw was set and she seemed determined to do anything necessary to help Victoria. Magnus knew that she would do anything for her. He let his eyes follow the girl as she ran up the stairs in silver stiletto heels. He could see that she was losing control of her aura as she flickered between a young woman in jeans and a leather jacket to a fierce woman in silver armor who would give Boadicea a run for her money. Then came Josh. He is Marethyu he became death and the destroyer of worlds the day the Danu Talis fell. His left hand was now a silver hook and he had black robe on the hid all of his face except his striking blue eyes. He ran up the steps after his sister quickly shedding the black robe as he did revealing tattered jeans, a worn out gray sweatshirt, and black converse.

First out of the Silent Brothers’ carriage was Brother Zachariah, also known as James Carstairs. His dark eyes met Magnus’. They were full of concern and sorrow. This was his ancestor after all though the wards of the Institute did not know. Not even Victoria. Jem was never cured. He’d become a Silent Brother. Though he was different than all of them. Jem still had hair, eyes, and his mouth was never sewn shut because he still had hope that they would find a cure for disease that was forced upon him. Just as it had been forced upon Victoria. Brother Zachariah was dressed in parchment colored robes and glided up the stairs without a sound. Magnus quickly retreated up the stairs to the Institutes doors until someone called his name from behind.

“Are you Magnus Bane?” Magnus slowly turned around and saw a teenage boy with sun-streaked blonde hair and light blue eyes. He had and athletic build and was around six feet tall wearing and orange shirt that said Camp Half-Blood on it. He also had a quiver of arrows thrown over his back along with a pack that hung on one of his shoulders. Magnus squinted his eyes.

“Depends on who's asking,” he replied coolly.

“My name is Will. William Solace. I- I’m dating Victoria,” the boy stuttered.

This was not good. Magnus took in a sharp breath. Magnus may know about Victoria and Will’s relationship, but he knew for a fact that no one in the Institute because that would be awkward for everyone. Magnus ran down the stairs toward Will and grabbed his sleeve.

“Do you know how stupid it was of you to come here?” Magnus whispered to him sharply. Will just replied with a blank look until his eyes finally focused on Magnus’ and slowly they widened. Magnus let out an irritated sigh. “These people that Victoria lives with have no idea that you exist. They have no idea what you are either.”

“She lives here with other people?” Will asked.

“Right, she wouldn’t have told you either,” Magnus muttered to himself while pinching the bridge of his nose. “Great. This is just fabulous. You might as well come in. I guess you all need to find out about each other eventually. Come on.” Magnus did not release his hold on Will’s shirt he quickly marched him through the halls of the Institute to the infirmary.

When they walked in they were met with silence as the Immortals gazed in horror at their friend who was now laying in more blood that had begun to drip on the stone floors. Already more than half of her hair was black. They didn’t have much time left. Will raced to Victoria’s side pushing Isabelle out of the way and grasped her burning hand. The girl rose quickly and looked as if she were about to take her electrum whips and flay him to pieces, but Alec just lay a hand on her shoulder. Slowly all signs of anger left her face was replaced with grief and sorrow as she stepped into her older brother’s arms. The only time that Magnus had seen Isabelle break down was when her younger brother Max had been murdered. Now her parabati’s life hung in the balance, and Isabelle could feel Victoria slipping away as Sebastian’s poison took over Victoria’s body and mind.

Nicholas cleared his throat. “I believe some introductions are in order if we are all going to be working together don’t you agree Magnus?”

Magnus replied a mere nod of his head before crossing his arms over his blood-spattered white t-shirt. “I would like you all to meet Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel and Sophie Newman and Marethyu.” A few gasps came from the Shadowhunters. Marethyu just gave a shaky smile before letting his eyes rest on Victoria once more. “The young people standing opposite to you are Isabelle and Alec Lightwood, Clary Morgenstern, and Jace Herondale.”

“Nice to meet you,” Clary replied quietly. She kept a tight grasp on Jace’s hand even though it would be causing her physical pain seeing as Jace still had heavenly fire in his system. The two sat on the to the right of Victoria’s and Alec and Isabelle stood next to them. Isabelle still drawing strength from her older brother.

“These are the Sil-” Magnus began.

 _We can introduce ourselves Bane,_ Brother Zachariah Said. The Immortals jumped at having someone else’s voice in their head, and Will... well he didn’t seem to be interested in introductions.

 _I am a Silent Brother. I am called Brother Zachariah,_ continued the same voice. He pulled back the hood of his robe revealing the young and youthful face of Jem, Brother Zachariah, with the two runes carved on his cheekbones. There was only one person left to introduce. “This young man is William Solace.”

“And who exactly is he?” Clary asked nodding in Will’s direction.

“Well...,” he glanced toward the Shadowhunters, “he’s Victoria’s... boyfriend.”

“Victoria doesn’t have a boyfriend,” Isabelle protested. That was when Will finally looked up.

“I am pretty sure that I am her boyfriend, but I don’t know who you are.”

“Victoria would have told us if...” Alec began.

“Would she have Alec? Look at how many secrets she keeps. Do you really think that Victoria even tells us half of what really goes on in her life? She disappears for weeks at a time without so much as a letter or a phone call, and then she returns all happy and full of smiles and tells us not to worry about it. We never worry about it because that’s the way it’s always been. It’s been Victoria against unknown dangers. It had always been her against everything!” Jace shouted, but quickly fell silent for he knew he was not helping the situation at hand.

“And I also think Victoria would have told me if she lived in some sort of crypt with people who are not her family,” Will continued even after being interrupted. “Because I know for a fact that she has no living relatives who are related to her by blood!” Things were becoming tense between the two parties.

“What are you talking about Solace?” Alec growled. “She has the Enrights. Though I wouldn’t actually call them family.”

“So she hasn’t told you who her real father is?” Will asked. Alec opened his mouth to reply.

 _I believe that there will be enough time to trade stories after we get Victoria well gentlemen,_ Brother Zachariah put in. Will’s face sunk. Magnus let out another sigh. Teenagers are all attitude all the time. They are always trying one up each other. Honestly it could get quite exhausting.

“I may have something that can help Victoria,” Will muttered. “Though I don’t know exactly what her condition is, but normally for people like us it will heal any wound.”

 _What exactly do you mean ‘people like us’, William?_ Brother Zachariah asked.

“Demigods. Half-god. Half-human.” Will examined the blank expressions that were all around him. “She didn’t tell you?”

 _As far as we know there are no such things as gods. Only the God of which the angels serve of whom we are descended from._ Brother Zachariah answered.

“Did she tell you that?” Isabelle spat at him. William flinched but continued with his explanation.

“It’s called _ambrosia and nectar_ , or the food of the gods.” He pulled some golden squares out of his bag and a bottle full of golden liquid.

 _It is said to grant immortality, is it not?_ Brother Zachariah asked.

“Supposedly, but that has never happened before.” Will went to pour some in Victoria’s mouth.

“Wait!” Magnus lunged forward and grabbed the bottle from the boy’s hand.

“Are you insane or just plain stupid?” Magnus shouted.

“What the hell is your problem?” Will stood up from his kneeling position next to Victoria’s bedside.

            “My problem is,” Magnus said as calmly as he could, “that this stuff that you were just about to feed her very much may cause her more pain. The blood that is now running through her veins is destroying every good thing about her. She drank from the Infernal Cup.” This statement he directed towards Zachariah. “She has been taking _yin fen_ to slow down the process.” Brother Zachariah shut his eyes as if trying to fend off the memories of being dependent on that drug for most of his life.

            “What is the Infernal Cup, Magnus?” Sophie asked. Up until now that Immortals had been quiet as if trying to process what was in front of them.

            “The Infernal Cup is a demonic version of the Mortal Cup. It will turn anyone human, Nephilim, werewolf, vampire, or faerie into a demonic version of oneself, and then they will be under the control of Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern.” Sophie brought her hand to her mouth as her blue eyes widened in shock.

"We can't let that happen. She would wreak havoc on the world if she were to be under his control. Killing hundreds of thousands. There is no telling what he will use all of her abilities for," replied Nicholas. He seemed determined as ever to find this cure.

 _What makes you so sure that you will find a cure this time when so many have tried and failed in the past?_ Brother Elijah asked.

"For one you've never had Death on your side," Marethyu began, "and we Immortals tend to get things done when it comes to those we care about." Nicholas gave a stiff nod.

"So what do we do?" Alec asked.

"There is information I need..." Magnus was cut off by Victoria's blood curdling scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for the next chapter.


	4. Chapter Three: Victoria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little short chapter

** Chapter Three **

**Victoria**

I stood by my bedside watching everyone huddle in around me. Will was there. Chiron must have told him. I wish that he hadn’t because now it is going to be very messy should I wake. I didn't know how they would go about finding this cure, but I had faith in Magnus. He was always there for me in the darkest of times and would always bring me back to the light. I wanted to be just like him and help others who needed it. Even those who didn't deserve it.

A hush had fallen over them all as I screamed. There was a searing pain through my brain as images began to flash before my eyes.

_There was Annabeth and Percy gripping onto the edge of a hole filled with webs their eyes filled with panic. Percy let go of the ledge and they fell. Then there was Jace fighting off demon after demon with Alec behind him keeping the demons that were surrounding them both off of each other’s backs as Parabati should. A demon approached from the sky and picked Jace up by the head. There was a sickening crunch and I knew he was dead. Alec let out and agonizing scream, gripped his heart, and fell to his knees. He was quickly overrun. Then there was Isabelle and Clary fighting side-by-side. A flicker of shock registered on Clary's face. In that moment they too were overrun. Then Will, Jason, Piper, Leo, Frank, Hazel, every single demigod, and every single Shadowhunter._

_Then there was only Sebastian and a women standing atop the piles of bodies. The women was me except with black hair and my eyes were now an earthy green with flecks of black. If I didn't know any better I would've mistaken myself for Gaea._

_"We have done well," I said my voice all gravelly and low. It sounded as if mountains were shaking. It could not be. “Victoria Carstairs was always a strong spirit, but now I have broken her with your help.” A look of regret filled Sebastian’s eyes, but was quickly replaced with a blank stare as he gazed across the battlefield littered with his enemies._

_There was a silence throughout the world. I could feel it. Everything and everyone was gone. Somehow I knew that some had escaped alive and now lived somewhere else, but I also knew that this was not what Gaea wanted. She wanted to make the humans suffer and now they were gone. Annihilated by the demons that she had aligned herself with. All of her children were dead. Defeated and suffering in the pits of Tartarus. They would rise again. Not now but soon. They would reform. The Doors of Death had not been closed. Everyone had failed to defeat her. Gaea let her gaze travel across the horizon and let out a low laugh._

_“I control all of this now! Everything is mine!”_

_“Was it worth it?”_ Sebastian whispered _. His black eyes were filled with pain. How could he feel pain?_

 _“Pardon, my child? If you wish to speak you must not mutter,”_ Gaea reprimanded him.

 _“I asked, ‘Was it worth it?’” He raised his eyes to meet her gaze. His eyes were now filled with a fire that I had never seen in him. The sun cast a glow around him making him look like and angel of death. “Was it worth it to kill everyone on this planet so you could rule it? You do realize that now that everyone is dead there is no one left to rule over. No one to control. There is no one that you can inflict pain on in revenge. There is nothing here! Everything and everyone is gone!”_ He spat _. Gaea didn’t even flinch._

 _“Has the little boy gotten cold feet? You, who claimed to have no emotion, now regret taking revenge on those who killed you and labeled you as someone... no something evil because you were not like them.” She smiled. It was not my smiled, but one that showed malice and hate. She darted forward and wrapped her hands around his neck and twisted. There was a sickening crack and his body fell to the ground. “There is no weakness in my family,”_ she whispered menacingly to his corpse _. “And as for you my dear,”_ she looked directly at me _, “Victoria. I believe you need to get better so that this can all play out as you have seen. I need you in tip-top shape for all of this,” she smiled and place a finger in the middle of my forehead. A searing white pain burst through my mind. It wasn’t over. I felt something lodge into the corner of my mind and nestle in._ Gaea let out a low laugh. _“Pretty soon you will be mine, and we will be one. No matter what you try there is no stopping me.”_

Then the vision was gone.


	5. Chapter Four: Magnus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now we meet the #2 bad guy

** Chapter Four **

**Magnus**

            The room temperature dropped dramatically causing goose bumps to rise of Magnus’ arms. His breath escaped in a cloud of white. Victoria’s body was shaking wildly and tendrils of gold were escaping from her fingers. The one hundred other beds that lined the room began to rise into the air as did the nightstands and chairs. The very earth that they stood on began to shake, and a low rumble echoed throughout the room.

            “Her aura is out of control!” Magnus shouted over the roar. Marethyu rushed forward and grabbed one of Victoria’s trembling hands with his one good hand. Sophie did the same.

            “We’re going to have to put a tap on it!” Marethyu yelled at his sister. She nodded.

            An electrical charge went through everyone’s bodies causing Sophie’s blonde hair to rise off her back and sparks to bounce off of everyone’s clothing. Magnus watched Victoria hoping that there would be no sign of pain as they stifled her aura. Sweat began to breakout on Sophie and Marethyu’s brows, and they gritted their teeth together. Slowly the temperature became normal and the furniture crashed to the ground causing Magnus to flinch.

            Sophie fell to her knees in exhaustion and there was a small gray streak in her bangs that slowly became blonde again. Marethyu picked his sister up and laid her on the bed next to Victoria. Sophie fell instantly asleep.

            “What was that?” Isabelle gasped as she stared in shock at Victoria.

            “You know that whole aura thing I started telling you about?” Magnus replied. Isabelle nodded. “Well that is what happens when a very powerful aura starts to slip out of control."

_An aura? I have heard of such a thing, but it is mainly used as a metaphor._

"That is only used by those who don't know what they're talking about," Magnus barked before letting out a sigh. "An aura is basically someone's life force. If you use too much of it, well you die. Some can draw energy from talismans, but most are wise and try to use as little of their aura as possible.”

“Is Victoria’s aura killing her Magnus?” Isabelle asked.

“No. I... uh... maybe it is best if you handle this Nicholas,” Magnus suggested. He gestured for the gray-haired man to step forward, and take his place beside Victoria. He was silent for a few moments before kneeling near Victoria and taking her blood-stained hand with his.

“Victoria has the rarest aura, its pure gold. If you would indulge me for a moment I would like you all to take a big whiff of the air, please.” Magnus watched Alec’s nostrils flare and his eyebrows scrunch together. “Tell me, what do you smell, Alexander?”

Alec’s blue eyes widened before hardening again. “Blood and... and oranges?” Nicholas smiled at him.

“Very good. What you smell is Victoria’s aura. Now when you smell mine,” a globe of green light spilled into his hand and the smell of peppermint masked the smell of oranges and blood, “you smell peppermint. My aura is green, and I chose to have it smell of peppermint. Now each and every one of you has different colored aura. I suspect that some of you may have multi colored ones and others may not. If I could demonstr-” Nicholas was cut off as a force threw him against the wall.                

Perenelle rushed to Nick's side. His body slid to the floor with a thud and he gave a small moan. The witchlights in the sconces began to flicker before going out completely. The only light came from the outside fall sky that leaked in through the window. A loud bang rang through the halls of the Institute.

"What was that?" Clary whispered her breath coming in white puffs. There was silence in the Infirmary, all that was heard was the sharp intake of Victoria's labored breathing.

"Oh little Shadowhunters," a voice echoed around them, "I see you've made some new friends since the last time we met. William Solace, the demigod, Perenelle, Nicholas, Sophie, and Marethyu, the Immortals all gathered here to fix what I did to sweet Victoria," the voice said with mock pity. Everyone's bodies tensed. Sebastian.

The Infirmary doors slammed open. Magnus and Marethyu's hands sparked as they prepared the fight the man that would walk through those doors. There was nothing.

"Come out and show your face you coward!" Jace shouted. He reached for the seraph blade that he always kept at his hip. Isabelle slipped her golden electrum whip from around her upper arm and twitched her wrist to bring it to life; before handing Alec a seraph blade. Clary yanked the chopstick from her red curls and pulled off the cap to reveal a blazing blue blade.

Will didn't know who he was about to fight, all he knew was that these people were terrified and that this man or creature had done unspeakable things the Victoria. He took and arrow from his quiver, quickly strung it on his bow, and pointed it at the doorway. Brother Zachariah merely picked up his staff and widened his stance.

"Well, this is not the welcoming party I was hoping for little sister,” he laughed. “Yes, draw all of your puny little angel weapons, but you see they are no use against me. You see I haven’t even come here to fight you.” The temperature continued to drop around the room as Sebastian’s voice circled around them as if teasing them.

“Ostende te,” Magnus whispered. _Reveal yourself_. He was quickly thrown against the farthest wall of the Institute and held there his arms and legs spread. The tendons in his tanned neck tensed as he struggled against Sebastian’s power.

“Silly little Warlock did you really think that I would come here unprotected against your magic and their auras. I’ve had quite a bit of help the past few weeks preparing for this moment. This moment is THE moment to basically end all moments. And you have no way to stop it because there is no cure that you could possibly find now! She kept from you for so long; she knew that there was nothing she could do. Maybe Victoria gave you a hint 'Time Travel' she said, but you see that was me all me!" He laughed maniacally as his voice slowly crept higher until he sound like a little boy getting a bike for Christmas. "Victoria is long gone now, and she is never coming back. She isn't even a demonic version of herself; she is something much much worse." Sebastian's voice became low, dark, and filled with pain. "At first I didn't want to do this to her because why would I want to hurt her. Then, I realized that she would do the same thing to me."

"Victoria would never do this to anyone!" Will shouted. "Not even you."

"But you see, you insignificant boy, she has in the past. Only when she gave in to that primal instinct that has always been there. Kill or be killed. Twice she has given into that side that is dark, cold, and feels nothing. Soon, she will again.”

“What are you talking about?” Will whispered.

“You don’t know do you?” Sebastian responded. “Pity. I so would have liked for you to be in the “know”. It’s time to wake up Victoria, darling. EX TENEBRIS EST PARENS OMNIUM NOSTRUM!”

Victoria’s eyes snapped open, and what little red that was left in her hair became black in an instant. Before their eyes Victoria transformed from the girl they loved into a fearsome monster. She became enveloped in a black energy that seemed to settle on top of her before sinking into her body. Her body began to jerk wildly as she tried to fight off the thing inside of her, but Victoria could not win. There was a loud boom and the wave of black energy knocked, all six who remained standing, to the ground. The spell that hid Sebastian from them had been destroyed by this energy.

All of Victoria’s “saviors” had been rendered unconscious. Slowly the being that now inhabited Victoria’s body rose to their feet and allowed their eyes to wander over all the sleeping shapes of their enemies.

“You have done well,” the being’s voice was deep, melodic, and had an earthy tone to it.

Sebastian stood up from the floor shaking his head to get rid of any dizziness. “I have only done as you asked, milady,” he responded. He was met with a small laugh.

“Don’t sell yourself short Jonathan. You’ve done what no one else could.” The speaker stepped into the light allowing him to finally see his handiwork. There was no color left in Victoria’s cheeks. Her face had lost its heart shape, the cheekbones were so prominent it looked painful. But the most disturbing part was the eyes. They’d lost their warmth and were emotionless. The warm green eyes that Sebastian had grown to love had turned cold and flecked with black. Even Sebastian could not bring himself to meet her eyes again. An emotion stirred inside of Sebastian one that he had never felt before. One that he could not place. It is what we would call horror.

**❂❂❂❂**

Sophie was the first to stir from her “coma”. She slowly sat up bringing her hand to her forehead. She felt her head pound. There was a searing pain at the back of her head. She brought her legs around so they dangled off the bed and jumped off. What little light that had been there before had long since passed. Sophie snapped her fingers to bring the sconces to life. They did not obey. She tried again. No success. After many tries she gave up and made a ball of fire; throwing it up into the air to make light.

What she saw before her took her breath away. There was a gaping hole in the outside wall of the Infirmary. Sophie should've seen the bright skyline of Manhattan, but the lights were out. Only then did she hear the car alarms and the screams. The whole of New York City had come to a complete stop.

Victoria was no longer on her bed. In fact there was no sign of her whatsoever. She was gone. Sophie gazed around to see all of her companions lying on the ground. What had happened here?


	6. Chapter Five:

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one in which we meet an Angel of the Lord, and the world is engulfed in shadow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUH DUH DUUUUUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ENJOY!

** Chapter Five **

Leo Valdez stood at the helm of Argo II guiding it from Rome to Athens. He had to keep going. Leo knew that if he stopped for even one moment he would break down. Over that past few weeks he'd grown close the Percy and Annabeth. They were his friends and now they were gone. But they weren't dead. It would be too easy. No, instead they fell into Tartarus; which for them is a fate much worse than death. They would face every monster they'd ever defeated there, and they had made plenty of enemies. He could not believe that Percy and Annabeth were gone. Two of the seven gone. This was not supposed to happen. Not yet. How could the seven have lost their strongest already? Leo would've followed them to the bitter end. Don't get him wrong he would do anything for Jason, but he thought Percy and Annabeth were better leaders. They were a great team and they loved each other.

Leo was jerked from his grief by Festus giving a loud roar and the sudden rush of sinister energy that rushed through him. A dark laugh rang through his ears. He knew that laugh, Gaea. On the screen Leo watched in horror as all the lights in the cities below him went out. Argo II was slowly losing power and began to nosedive towards the Greek coast. Leo tried to bring her level, but there was no power left. Nico, Frank, Hazel, Jason, Piper, and Coach Hedge came running from the cabin area.

"We need to abandon ship!" Leo yelled. "Get to the Pegasus!" The ship already had a steep incline as they climbed their way as quickly as possible to the stables. There was no time to grab their things from their cabins. Everything would go down with the ship, including Festus. The demigods and Coach Hedge quickly freed the Pegasi and mounted them. Everything went by so quickly. Leo paid no heed to his friends or the shouted orders of Coach Hedge, all he could focus on was the laughing inside his head and the sickening feeling that spread through his gut. Gaea was free, but how? The only way she could have been released was if Percy and Annabeth had died. But they couldn't be. The Pegasi soared above the burning cities of Greece. The demigods faces were ashen even the satyr had given up shouting at Leo. The world was burning just as Gaea had wanted it to. She was awake. The battle had begun.

  


**❂❂❂❂**

The messenger angel arrived just as Magnus was coming around. He was the last to wake. Everyone looked shocked even Brother Zachariah. The angel had felt the burst of darkness when Gaea was in possession of Victoria. It was so overwhelming that he’d dropped to Earth as he was leaving Heaven. He could not believe the devastation that surrounded him when he did. Buildings ruined and fires raging. At first he’d mistaken it for the rising of Lucifer, but he would have known if the 66 seals were being broken. This was something different, and maybe something much worse. There were screams everywhere and he could see the Reapers out in the thousands taking those whose time had come to an end. What could have caused such mass destruction besides Lucifer? There had been no signs of his rising. None at all. What madness was this.

The angel’s host was a little battered up, but soon the wounds began to heal, and he went on his way to the New York Institute. He could sense that was where the destruction has started and spread. It sent a shockwave across the whole world from what he could tell. Affecting everyone and everything leaving nothing untouched, and the angel had never heard of such a thing happening. The door of the Institute hung off its hinges and the halls were scorched black; not from a fire. This was in no means smoke damage. Rocks did not burn. The angelic blood that ran in Nephilim’s blood has all but been destroyed. The bricks of the Institute were made with the blood and bones of the Nephilim. They provided protection against all sorts of evil, but apparently it was not enough to keep this evil out. Or in. The angel put one foot on the mantle and was repulsed by the feeling of darkness that shivered all the way down to his core. It was a feeling that he’d never felt before. Not even when he was being tortured by demons. Samandriel could hardly bear it. It felt slimy and wrong. This was not natural, and he would never get used to such a feeling. Samandriel knew that he must press on.

There was a cat that met him when he reached and intersection. Samandriel knew that this was no ordinary cat. The cat would lead him wherever he wished to go. The gray, fluffy cat walked him to the Infirmary. Samandriel felt silly following a cat, but God had created cats and they were one of the most intelligent creatures on Earth. The Infirmary was a disaster zone. This was where the destruction had started. When the Nephilim and Immortals saw him they could not help but bring their weapons out and make threats at him. Samandriel understood. They’d just been invaded, they were not keen on trusting strangers.

Samandriel raised his hands and saw that his hands had begun to blister. This vessel would not hold him for much longer. “I come in peace,” he said. The teenagers were taken aback by how calm and serene his voice sounded. “This is the home of Victoria Carstairs, Jace Herondale, and the Lightwoods? Is it not.”

“Yes,” a boy of nineteen stood up from one of the beds holding a bandage over one of his bright blue eyes. “My name is Alec Lightwood, keeper of the Institute until my mother returns. What business do you have here?” Samandriel could see that they boy was shaking and weak. “Please sit down, you are weak. If you wish I can heal you.” Alec shook his head and straightened himself before falling on the bed again. Samandriel tried to go to him, but his sister stood in his way.

“Tell me who you are or I will shove this seraph blade into your sternum.” This girl’s words dripped with venom, but he could tell that she would not follow through. Her hands shook as did the blade that she threatened to plunge into his chest. Her brown eyes were full of fear. He pitied the Nephilim, but he would comply with her request. He had no desire to be stabbed. Samandriel slowly pushed to blade from his chest. He met her brown eyed gaze in full composure. He would not show his fear to these poor creatures.

“My name is Samandriel, Angel of the Lord. I coming bearing a message though I fear that it has come too late.” He gazed around the room and his eyes fell on the gaping hole in the wall. “If I may,” Samandriel quickly snatched Isabelle’s hand and began to heal it. Before their eyes Isabelle’s spine straightened and it seemed as if there was a weight lifted off of her shoulders. Samandriel could feel that darkness had routed inside of each and every one of them. It was not natural or God-like. He shuddered and his eyes opened to reveal a blinding blue light. The darkness was feeding at their angelic blood and killing them. It took every ounce of his strength to heal this one girl. Samandriel dropped her hand and slumped forward. His face was burning with pain and he could tell he did not have much time. These Nephilim needed to be healed and there was nothing he could do to help anymore of them.

Isabelle looked at him in awe. “I saw in your mind. You really are and angel, but your weak now. We are all dying and if we aren’t healed we’ll be dead in days.” Her voice trailed off as the fear returned to her eyes.

Samandriel raised his head again, and the other’s gasped. The skin on his face was horribly blistered and peeling. This vessel would not hold him much longer. “I don’t have much time. This vessel will burn if I remain in him for much longer. You must go to your Silent Brothers. The darkness sent out fragments of itself in the explosion. The whole world was affected, but they will recover. You will not. The only thing keeping you alive is what little angel blood you have is your system, but the evil is eating away at that and thus killing you. Get to your Silent Brothers. Nicholas?” The man looked up at him. He was holding his wife’s hand. Perenelle was her name if Samandriel remembered correctly. “You and your fellow Immortals will be just fine. I can see that you are already healing, but it will take time. You will be weak for an extended period and I must advise you to use your aura as little as possible.” Samandriel vessel convulsed. _Not much longer,_ he thought.

“I’m sorry I cannot be of more help. The question I had has been answered. I can see now that you will need all of your strength in the coming battle. You must be vigilant and willing to sacrifice everything so that this world can live on.” Before the Nephilim could respond he blasted himself out of the teenage boy so he would cause no more damage.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHELP! I'm so sorry don't kill me.


	7. Chapter Six: Ariel The Archangel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ANGELS

** Chapter Six **

**Ariel**

Hell. This is my Hell, and I cannot bear it. There is an army. An army of.... creatures. Monsters. Demons. Giants. Titans. All lead by... what once was my one true vessel. Victoria Carstairs. Now Gaea. She was accompanied by Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern.

            I am so far gone. There is nothing left I cannot fight. Nor do I wish to fight the darkness any longer. I’ve seen their forces and what they are capable of. I’ve seen what they will do to the world. The Army of Heaven stands no chance even with the aid of these creatures’ enemies. There is no hope. I would rather die than see this war.

            I’ve fought so many wars. I fought when my brother Lucifer fell with his followers. I fought in many pitiful human wars. I fought as Joan of Arc. I fought as many leading generals in the Great Wars that affected the way I view humans. What is there to live for? Why must we save them? Humans are weak and petty. They kill each other without a single thought. They aren’t worth it. They are small and dirt beneath me. They are not worth my time. Why should I hold onto hope that they will change when very few believe in me anymore? My line of thinking had turned dark. I was too far gone to turn back now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's just a few lines I know, but here comes the next chapter so don't kill me.


	8. Chapter Seven: Michael

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how to sum up this chapter.

** Chapter Seven **

**Michael**

  


Michael paced back in forth in the meeting room while his fingers nervously twitched at his sides. Every single angel had felt the surge of darkness, it was a wonder that they hadn’t all fallen from Heaven right then and there. Michael sighed in frustration and once again brought his fist down on the solid rock of a table, splitting it into two. _How could things have gone so wrong? They were not meant to be this way. Everything hurt too damn much._ And for the first time in all eternity Michael, the leader of Heaven, cried. Losing Ariel was worse than losing Lucifer; Ariel was his twin, his companion. Michael needed her. Ariel and Michael were the Angel equivalent to the Nephilim parabati. Their father had created them to lead Heaven together. They were never to be alone. Sworn to protect each other until paradise was brought to Earth. He missed her and on top of that Michael had no idea what was happening to her.

That was when he felt it.  The pain was unbearable and excruciating. Michael collapsed to the ground and screamed. A fire seemed to ignite within him filling every inch with pain. It was far worse than anything else Michael had ever experienced. It was too hard to breath and too hard to think. It was horrible. Sharp and quick. It would repeat. There was a tear in his soul and he could feel it rip apart separating him from Ariel. How could this have happened? All he could to was feel the emptiness and loneliness replace the pain. He was hollow every inch of Michael's glory stripped away in a single second. How could this be? Michael was only aware of the emptiness and the sharp pain in his heart before he blacked out.

**❂❂❂❂**

            _The whispers and screams of pain echoed through the darkness as Michael attempted to wade through the blood and the bodies that lay all around him. He’s never been to this battle field before, though it seemed familiar._

**_“_ ** _Michael_ _,”_ _a voice whispered behind him. The voice was soft and beautiful it was almost musical. Ariel’s voice had the same musicality, but there was something different about this voice. It was not light and cheerful; it was low and somber. He’d never heard Ariel’s voice reach such a sadness. Michael attempted to respond, but no sound came out and the scene before him changed._

_Now he was in a cave watching a young girl get tortured. She looked familiar with her golden red hair and sparkling green eyes. She looked like Ariel’s true vessel Victoria Carstairs, but with her features contorted in pain, Michael could not tell who she was. She was held aloft in the air with chains. The girl just dangled there, not even trying to get free. Had she been there long enough that she’d given up all hope of being rescued? A demon stood behind her and cracked a whip on her back repeatedly. Never stopping. Michael was yanked toward the girl and whipping her himself. **WHAT! NO!** Michael tried to make himself stop, but was unable to. He was not in control._

_“_ **_I_ ** _t’s okay Michael, this what needs to happen_ _,_ _” the voice came back. He brought his arm back and flicked his wrist bringing the whip crashing down onto the girl’s snow white back. She screamed. It shook Michael to his very soul. In all of his battles he’d never heard anyone so desperate and alone. It was agonizing. She let out another blood curdling scream._

_“_ _You know why it's affecting you so much Michael. Say it. Admit it to yourself._ _”_

**_She sounds too much like Ariel._ **

_“_ _That is because she was my vessel._ _” A figured shimmered next to Michael. The figure laid a hand on his arm and brought the whip back again. The figure looked just like the girl. The girl and Ariel._

**_Ariel?_ ** _She smiled and nodded. **Why are you doing this?**_

_“_ _I’m not making you do anything Michael. You are merely witnessing the last few moments Victoria Carstairs has as her true self. She is the darkness that will plague the world after this. Come with me Michael. You need to see what’s happening below. For soon you will have major role to play._ _” The scene shifted before him once more._

_Now Michael sat a bar with a beer in his hand. Michael looked around him when his eyes landed on the man next to him. Sam Winchester._

_“Dean why don’t we ditch this place and find a hotel room. We could really use the rest,” Sam urged. Though from the look on his face he knew Dean wouldn’t be up to it._

_“C’mon Sammy,” Michael said. “You need to live a little, and all I need right now is a few more drinks. I’m not nearly drunk enough to handle all the stitches that you’re gonna have to give me. Anyway, there’s a band about to perform we deserve time off after trying to remove all those vampires from that hotel. Hotel....” Michael scratched his head._

_“Dumort,”Sam finished. “Hotel of Death in French.”_

_“So you said. God those vampires were some crazy sons of bitches. I’ve never seen anything like them. They were wicked fast and they only had two fangs. I’m telling you man things just keep getting weirder and weirder here.” Michael lifted his beer to his lips and knocked it back. The owner of the bar stepped onto the stage and introduced the band as The Mortal Instruments. **They better be good or I’m throwing this beer bottle at them.** _

_A teenage girl with red hair stepped onto the stage and assumed her position at the mic. Michael narrowed his eyes. “Hey, Sammy?”_

_“What?”_

_“Isn’t that the chick who convinced the vampires to let us go?” Sam looked up from his glass._

_“Yeah I... I think it is.”_

_The girl tossed her hair over her shoulder before tapping the mic to see if it was on. “Okay,” she breathed into the mic. “First off I would like to thank you for coming, and I would like to introduce myself. I am Victoria,” she seemed to hesitate, “Enright. I’m new to the band and am a singer slash pianist. So yeah.” She smiled as the rest of her band walked up onto the stage. She was the only girl in the band. “So tonight I thought we would kick it off with some Classic Rock. I hope you all enjoy.” She smiled again before sitting at the keyboard. A teenage guy stepped up to the mic and began to sing. It was a little rough at first, but they finally got it together and were pretty good for a group of teenagers. They played all through the night doing several Led Zeppelin, Bon Jovi, and Van Halen songs. It was reaching close to three in the morning when they finally stopped. The lead male vocalist’s voice had given out and Victoria looked just as exhausted as she stepped up to the mic._

_“So how’d we do?” A bunch of college guys catcalled at her from the corner and she just laughed. “Okay. So how’d we do?” She asked again. This time the bar erupted in applause and whistles. “Now that’s more like it. Thank you guys for having us. I’m afraid that was our last song. Once again we are The Mortal Instruments and I hope to see you next Saturday.” Victoria flashed everyone an Academy Award Winning Smile as she walked off stage. Michael knew she put more effort into walking her hips were swaying way too much. The college boys catcalled again, and she blew them a kiss and winked._

_“C’mon Dean, we’re gonna lose her if you sit here any longer.” Michael knocked back the rest of his drink and shrugged his brown leather jacket on before taking off after Sam. The sounds of Manhattan came to him almost immediately, even though they were in Brooklyn. Cities had never been his thing. Sam had taken off down an alley trying to catch Victoria before she left. As Michael veered around the corner he crashed into the wall and swore. He’d had way too much to drink._

_“Dean, hurry up!”_

_“I’m comin’”, Michael growled. Michael saw Sam roll his eyes._

_“Victoria!” She turned around at the sound of her name and appeared startled. She was kneeling next to a slumped over figure underneath the light on the bar’s brick wall. The light cast unappealing shadows on her pretty features. She looked ghostly. Victoria stood up quickly and stepped in front of her friend._

_“Look guys I’m not looking for any trouble, and I am not offering my services,” she said. Sam came to a halt with Michael right behind him. Michael knew that Sam was blushing and smiled._

_“Oh know... we weren’t,” Sam stuttered._

_“What he’s trying to say is that we weren’t approaching you for a good time. Though we’d be happy to give it to you.” Michael winked at her._

_“Dean,” Sam whispered._

_Victoria raised her eyebrows at Michael’s comment. “I’m sure you would. If you’ll excuse me, I don’t really have the time to deal with drunk frat boys who don’t know how to take a hint. Obviously you two don’t have enough luck with women your own age or you wouldn’t be talking to me.” She knelt back down and was whispering to her friend. All Michael could catch was “food”, “blood”, and “Jordan”.  At that moment the stage door flew open to reveal the rest of the band. “Jordan,” Victoria sighed, “Thank God. I think Simon here needs to get home soon. He forgot we were going to be out late and didn’t take his...meds.”_

_Jordan’s face darkened. “We’ll get him home.” Jordan’s eyes landed on Michael and Sam. “Are you gonna be alright?” Victoria nodded. Jordan picked up Simon and the rest of the band wandered down the alleyway._

_Victoria turned around and was surprised. “You’re still here?” She sighed. “Fine. What do you want?” Her green eyes flashed with annoyance._

_“Well nothing really. It’s just that you’re the one that got us out of that vampire nest last night.” Sam said. Victoria looked amused._

_“So you’re the two idiots that wandered in there. Any mundane with half a brain knows to stay out of the Hotel Dumort. I expected more from you two.” She sighed._

_“Why would you expect more from us?”_

_“Well you’re Shadowhunters, right?”_

_“Well we’re Hunters. I’m not sure what you mean by Shadowhunters. Though I do suppose what we hunt lurks in the shadows. So, I guess you could assume that we are Shadowhunters,” Sam rambled on and on for quite a bit. Victoria’s smile faded._

_“You have no idea what you’re talking about do you?”_

_“No, not really,” Sam replied._

_“Well great. You’re two ghost hunting mundies. Listen I don’t know who you are, but if I see you near that Hotel ever again I will let the vamps kill you. Now forget you ever saw me. We never had this conversation.” With that Victoria stalked off. Michael followed her leaving Sam and his vessel, Dean, behind._

_The scene shifted once more. It was the same night. Michael could tell because Victoria was still in the same outfit. A leather jacket over a red tank top and high heeled boots. How anyone could run in such monstrosities was a wonder. However this time she was running in fear from someone who wanted to do her harm._

_“Oh Victoria! There’s no need to run. I’m not going to hurt you.” A voice echoed across the walls of alleys. Victoria let out a sob._

_If only Michael could catch up to her to know what she was thinking. That was when he saw him. The Devil’s Spawn. Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern, known to many as Sebastian. She couldn’t see him. She was running straight for him and there was nothing that Michael could do. He could only watch as Jonathan grabbed Victoria and hit her over the head._

_The scene shifted once more. Michael was in the cave again. This time Victoria was slumped in a chair unchained. She’s lost the will to fight. How long had she been missing? Jonathan circled around her as if she were his prey. His eyes wandered over her hungrily. Michael could not watch. Humans were so twisted and sick._

**_Ariel! I want to leave now! I understand!_ **

_“_ _No. I’m afraid that you do not understand Michael. You have not seen all that has come to pass._ _”_ _Ariel shimmered beside him and rested a soft hand upon his shoulder. “_ _You must understand if you are to survive the war that is upon you.  For you must fight without me, brother. I will not be there to guide you. Not this time, and I never will be again_ _.”_

**_What do you mean?_ ** _Michael begged Ariel for an answer. She shushed him._

_“_ _Just watch Michael_ _.”_ _Michael did as he was told. He watched her Jonathan shoved the Infernal Cup into Victoria’s mouth causing her lips to bleed. He watched as Jonathan forced the poison down Victoria’s throat. She was fighting back now, but he was so much stronger. Too strong._

_The scene shifted again._

_Michael was standing next to Victoria’s bed as a Silent Brother stood over her._

_“Is she going to be okay?” Isabelle Lightwood asked._

I do not know Isabelle. She has suffered a great trauma. I cannot tell you how much of an effect that this will have on her mentally. Physically yes she will recover, but there was nothing I could do for the whip marks. Her back will be badly scarred. The whip itself must have been of demonic origin. _The Silent Brother replied telepathically._

_Another change._

_Victoria was looking in a mirror. Her shoulders were slumped as she sobbed and held back screams of anger and frustration. Her slim frame shuddered with coughs and blood sprayed the mirror in front of her. Victoria whimpered and slid onto the stone floor. She brought her knees to her chest and rocked herself to sleep._

_And another._

_Victoria was in an alleyway and entered a warlock den. She was trying to hide her identity as well as she possibly could, massive black sunglasses covered her eyes while her hair was concealed under a black scarf. She wore a white turtleneck and jeans to cover her runes. Her attire was suspicious especially in the middle of a heat wave. However, the Ifrits didn’t bat an eye when she asked for yin fen. The powerless warlock handed her a small packet. In response Victoria shouted._

_“I need more you miserable fool!” There was so much anger and hate in her voice. It was filled with pain._

_“That is all we have. If you want it you must pay for it,” the Ifrit smiled greedily and stuck out a taloned hand for payment. Victoria’s lip curled in disgust as she pulled out a plastic sandwich bag containing golden drachmas._

_Another change._

_This time Victoria was nowhere in sight. It was merely Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern kneeling in an empty field with his hands pressed to the ground. The ground around him was black with rot, blood, and ichor; mangled limbs were laid out in a pentagram around him._

_“I wish to speak to Gaea, Mother of the Earth,” Jonathan announced._

_“And so you shall,” the Earth replied. The pentagram slowly turned into the face of a sleeping women. Michael’s body shuddered. **No. This Pagan Goddess cannot be this world’s undoing.** “Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern, what a pleasant surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure?”_

_“Let’s skip the pleasantries,” Jonathan snapped._

_“As you wish. Why is it you wish to speak to me Shadowhunter?” Gaea’s smile oozed blood._

_“I have a proposition for you Gaea. I’ve heard that you are planning to wage war on this planet.”_

_“You have heard correct.”_

_“I offer my services to you, i-” Gaea cut him off._

_“What could you possibly give me, little Nephilim? My army is endless-”_

_“You and I both know that the Doors of Death won’t be open much longer if Perseus Jackson and Annabeth Chase have anything to do about it,” he argued. “They are far more vigilant than you realize. I have an army of demons at my disposal and I may have a vessel for you to possess.” Gaea was silent for a few minutes. Michael noticed Jonathan become nervous. It is never a good sign when an all-powerful immortal being is silent._

_“A vessel you say, and who might this vessel be?”_

_“Her name is Victoria Carstairs, but you may know her as Victoria the Lost Princess of Rome. I’ve heard that she is the only person you are able to possess.”_

_“And once again you are correct. An army of demons and a vessel. It sounds almost too good to be true.” Gaea laughed. Now Michael knew what that earthquake in Greece was all about. “I can’t imagine that it comes unattached. What would I have to give you?”_

_“Oh nothing really,” he began coyly, “Only the promise that once the war is over and you can take on your true form that you will leave Victoria alive and in my care and the promise that all of the other Nephilim will burn forever.”  
            Gaea’s grin turned sly. There would be no way that anyone would win this war now. “I can give you all that and more Jonathan.”_

_“Call me Sebastian.”_

_Then everything was white._

**❂❂❂❂**

            Michael awoke in the angel’s meeting hall and quickly rose from the ground to meet Ariel’s shimmering form.

            “Are you really gone?” Michael asked her. How could this have happened? Ariel was the strongest angel. Stronger than himself.

            “Even the strong fall prey to darkness, Michael. You and I should know that better than anyone. They were too strong for me Michael.” A tear slipped down her cheek. Michael wanted to wipe it away, but knew that his hands would pass right through her. “Gaea grows stronger everyday as do her forces. She has all types of monsters from every walk of life accept for those who signed the Accords with the Nephilim. She has our fallen brethren siding with her, and you witnessed the joining of Jonathan Morgenstern with Gaea. She now has her vessel. Her vessel being my one true vessel. Victoria is more powerful than Gaea knows. Gaea has access to Victoria’s aura, and if Gaea can learn how to wield it. Then I’m afraid there is no stopping her.”

            “What can I do Ariel? Must I wage war upon this planet again? We have not interfered in these matters for centuries.” Michael was hesitant. If any angel he walked in to see him standing there they would not recognized him. How could this be their leader who earlier was full of such passion and fury? How could he have lost it so quickly? In truth, he’d never had it. The strength he’d shown in the gathering of the archangels was only to mask the pain that he’d really been feeling.

            “Michael, you must fight this war. It is what our father would want. I believe in you, my brother. You knew this day would come. You knew that you would have to fight for the humans once again. This is your time to lead the Humans back to our father. They must have faith in their darkest hour.”

            “I can’t do it without you!” Michael shouted at her.

Ariel’s eyes turned dark and her voice was low and menacing. “You must. You knew that someday you would have to do it without me. Because you appointed me Angel of Death! And you knew what that meant for me! You knew that this would happen to me. That one day I would be your enemy. The act was merely accelerated. Accept it. You are alone in this. You cannot be dependent on anyone. Not anymore Michael. You have to be what our Father made you. You are the leader of the angels. It was never my job. It was always yours. This is my last act as Ariel the good. You have to fight. You must if you wish to live. Heaven will fall if you do not. I will make sure of that. I promise you Michael, that once I’m completely gone and replaced by only anger and hate I will come after Heaven. I will stop at nothing until it burns. I am sorry, but there is nothing that I can do to stop myself. I’m already too far gone Michael. Goodbye my brother. Be strong. I believe in you.” Ariel was gone.

Michael straightened his back and his face became as hard as stone. He would lead Heaven into battle against Hell. Against The End. He would fight to the death. He would not let Heaven fall. He would not fight for the humans. He refused to fight for them. He would fight so that Heaven would live to see another day, and then he would not stop until Christian-Judeo apocalypse was upon Earth. Then he would bring paradise.

“Sound the bells!” Michael shouted. Raphael appeared next to him as the bells of war rang out all across Heaven. “Prepare all of the garrisons for war Raphael. Every angel is needed upon Earth to fight this war.”

“Michael are you al-” Raphael began.

“I am fine Raphael. Now do as you’re told!” Raphael nodded and left as quickly as he had come leaving Michael alone to his hate and anger.


	9. Chapter Eight: Isabelle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some flowery descriptions and an inside look into Victoria and Isabelle's relationship.

** Chapter Eight **

            The world is cold and dark. No light can breach the darkness that has stained every living thing on Earth. Too many have died. Too many will not recover. Is it the end of days? No one knows. Many wish for it to be. They have it too hard, but mankind has so much more that they are meant to accomplish. It cannot end. Not yet. But what if it does? Life never ends, it simply changes. The human’s lives will never be the same if Gaea wins this war. They will all die, and this planet will once more be dominated by creatures of the Earth and of Death. It was never meant to be this way. How could it all have gone so wrong? How had this once beautiful planet fallen to darkness and sin? Was it the day that Pandora’s Box was open? Was it when Lucifer fell from Heaven? Was it when Danu Talis fell? Or was it when the first demon found its way into this world? No one knows. It is not one religions fault, but rather a combination of many. The defenders of the Earth were never strong enough to defeat all the forces of evil combined. It is unclear whether or not they will fail this time. They have so much to lose should they fail. It has been proven throughout all of human history, that when their homes and those that they love are put into danger, humans will do anything to protect what they love even at the price of their closest ally. Their friend.

The world is quiet and full of fear. Nothing stirs in fear of awakening a sleeping giant. The primal instinct that all humans have has kicked in. They know that there is something out there to get them. And it frightens them. Something so big and so beyond many of their understanding. There is nothing that any of the humans can do. They cannot look to their leaders for help, because they too are cowering in the face of danger. They have no one to look to because the humans do not know that they exist. The Nephilim and their allies. The Armies of Heaven. The gods of Ancient Rome and Greece. The Armies of demigods. Every single immortal being left. They will all fight. They will be no match for the combined forces of Hell and Tartarus. There was only one way to win this war, and it would be to kill Gaea and her vessel.

  


**❂❂❂❂**

            Isabelle stood on the roof of the Institute gazing out into the darkness; she was unable to see anything. New York had gone dark days ago. The same time Victoria disappeared. They were all able to assume that she was at Sebastian’s beck and call, because Isabelle was able to sense that her parabati was not dead just drastically changed. Isabelle shivered against the fall wind and regretted not bringing a jacket to the roof, but she didn’t have the heart to go back inside. It was even colder in the Institute. The witchlights wouldn’t come back on, and Magnus couldn’t keep the whole building warm. He’d all but given up on trying to use magic to do anything; Magnus was too weak. In truth all Isabelle wanted to do was curl up with Simon and watch Star Wars, but that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. Isabelle hadn’t seen him since this whole fiasco started with Victoria. She knew that he would try and come see her, but was not able to step foot into the Institute. At least not without dying. Sure Simon could come into the antechamber that was not on hallowed ground, but a crypt wasn’t very cozy or warm. Izzy wasn’t even able to text him, not with the phones crapped out. Jordan was acting as their mail carrier. He would stop bye every once and a while during the day to bring her a short sloppy letter from Simon, and Izzy would send one back with him. _He probably only does it to see if Victoria had turned up again,_ she thought. Vic had become good friends with all the guys in the band during their practices. They were all bound to be pretty torn up about it. Isabelle was more than a little sure that at least one of the boys had a crush on Vic, but Victoria had a boyfriend, apparently.

Will was certainly not the type of boy that she thought Victoria would fall for. Sure he seemed nice enough, but Isabelle always thought that Victoria liked more of the “tall, dark, and handsome” kind of guy, like the vampire, Raphael, that she would always flirt with to get her way with the vampires. Not the blue-eyed, blonde-haired, any girl would kill to get in a mundane high school. Victoria seemed a little bit too badass for him, but there’s no room for Isabelle to judge after all she was the one dating a vampire.

Isabelle never understood Victoria’s attachment to Raphael; not until the night before Sebastian kidnapped her. Two idiots has wandered into the Hotel Dumort, in the middle of the night. Victoria said that they were two Shadowhunters who were just stopping through town and had a little bit too much to drink. Victoria and Isabelle were tasked with getting them out alive.

**❂❂❂❂**

_“C’mon Izzy,” Victoria urged as they ran across the street to the hotel. She could already hear the sounds of fighting coming from the broken windows._

_“I’m coming,” Isabelle huffed. They quickly darted into the shadow of the Hotel Dumort to find an entrance. “So are we just going to storm in there?” Victoria flashed Izzy a smile and nodded. “That’s what I thought. Well this should get exciting.”_

_“Izzy? I kinda want to enter from the main door,” Victoria said sheepishly. Isabelle glance at her and shook her head._

_“Are you insane? They would kill us in seconds flat,” she hissed. Victoria rolled her eyes._

_“They might kill you in seconds flat, but I’m not sure about me. I know for a fact that Raphael has a soft spot for me,” Victoria laughed. Isabelle shook her head again. “Oh, c’mon Izzy. Where’s your sense of adventure? It would be fun.” Victoria wiggled her eyebrows at Izzy._

_“I suppose it would be fun,” she replied._

_“Just think about it,” Victoria began as she spread apart like a movie screen. “We kick in those old decayed doors with our stiletto boots, looking as fabulous as always. The vampires get surprised, and the people we are saving are in total awe of how awesome we are that they worship us for the rest of our lives.” Victoria smiled while Isabelle was trying to stifle a giggle. She said it so matter-of-factly that it was almost possible. “Plus,” Victoria dropped her arms, “I love making theatrical entrances.”_

_“I know you do,” Isabelle laughed._

_“Okay, but seriously,” Victoria’s smile disappeared as she got serious, “we need to get in there. They sound like they’re getting their asses whooped.” Sure enough there were human grunts of pain bursting from the windows. “So are we good on the whole plan?”_

_“What plan?”_

_“Exactly!” Victoria whooped as she kicked down the once magnificent doors to the Hotel Dumort. Isabelle was right behind her. Every vampire turned to look at them. They were startled to see two Shadowhunters. Victoria swaggered in through the doorway while bringing a seraph blade to her hand. To the vampires she looked angelic with the moon behind her and her runes dark against her pale skin._

_They all were circled around two guys in their twenties. The guys didn’t look like they were from the city with their jeans and flannels. Maybe they were brothers. The taller one had shaggy looking hair that was matted to his forehead, and more than a couple claw marks on his cheeks. The shorter one’s right eye was black, but other than that he seemed unharmed. A boy, who appeared to be no older than Victoria’s seventeen (almost eighteen) years, stepped out of the ring of vampires to approach Victoria. He would have been handsome with his dark hair and eyes that went with his honey colored skin, had it not been for the menacing grin that twisted his face or the fact that his two incisors were lowered over his bottom lip and stained with blood._

_“Hello Raphael,” Victoria said calmly while studying her nails. “Long time, no see.” Isabelle approached them both cautiously knowing better than to get in between Victoria and a target._

“Hola, _Victoria. To what do I owe the pleasure?” He bowed to Victoria before grasping her hand and planting a kiss on it._

“ _Oh Raphael Santiago, you sly dog. Don’t you know better than to kiss me without my permission,” Victoria responded flirtatiously._

“ _Forgive me,_ princessa. _May I please plant a kiss upon your snow white hand?” Raphael mocked. Which only made Victoria laugh. Isabelle narrowed her eyes. **What in the Angel’s name is going on between them?**_

_“Um.... Victoria?” Victoria glanced back at Isabelle and seemed to just realize she was there. Well more like there were more people than just her and Raphael in the Hotel. The two guys who were in the process of getting beat up were just standing there really awkwardly in the middle of the vampire mosh pit. “You do realize that we have a job to do?”_

_Victoria waved Isabelle’s comment aside. “I was getting there, but since you already brought it up, I guess we have to talk about it now,” she sighed. “Now Rafe. You do realize that you can’t take two mundies off the street and attack them? It’s against the Accords.” She sounded as if she was talking to a toddler._

_“Of course,_ princessa,” _he said coolly, “but you see. They’re Hunters, and they came in here. We are merely protecting our territory from,” he paused, “uninvited guests. I’m sure someone such as yourself can understand.” The two boys struggled against the vampires hold on them, but there was nothing they could do against their strength. Victoria was quiet for several moments as she thought of her next words very carefully.  If she said the wrong thing there would be repercussions._

_“Izzy,” Victoria began slowly looking Raphael dead in the eye as she spoke, “take the two boys outside and send them on their way with a very stern warning about entering a vampire’s “holy place”. While you do that Raphael and I are going to have a little chat. There are terms we need to discuss for these boys safety.”_

“ _But, Vic-”_

_“Just do it,” Victoria replied calmly. Isabelle slowly made her way toward the circle of vampires. Not daring to turn her back on them for one minute. Isabelle slipped through the gaps between each vampire. They all gave her a silent hiss. When she got close to the two captives they hissed even louder._

_“That is enough,” Raphael shouted. “Let the Hunters go.” An uneasy murmur went through the crowd when both boys jerked out of their captors loosened grip. The shorter one brushed some stone dust off his brown leather jacket while the taller one, put a hand to the scratches on his face. Isabelle and the two boys walked out of their just as easy as they came in. Leaving only Victoria and the vampires._ _Raphael beckoned Victoria to follow him, and they walked toward what use to be the ballroom._

_“So this is where you want to do it?” Victoria looked around the room skeptically. There was a thick layer of dust on every surface; the once magnificent chandelier was on the ground in shard of crystal._

_“Why are you doing this Victoria? No other Nephilim would dare do what you’re about to do. They would just slice their way through all of us.”_

_“And they would get themselves killed in the process as well as the two captives. You know I prefer to negotiate way out of things and keeping the body count down to a minimum.” Victoria turned away from Raphael and crossed her arms over her chest. “Do you remember when this place was beautiful Rafe? When it was full of life? I miss it.” She sighed and turned to face Raphael. “So are we going to do this or not?”_

_Raphael smiled evilly. “Oh I’m ready.” In a split second he had Victoria up against a wall and his fangs sunk into her neck. The price to save those two boys was a pint of blood. Victoria had given blood to Raphael often enough that she didn’t make a sound. All she wanted was for everyone to be safe including the vampires. After Raphael was finished he planted a kiss on Victoria’s cheek. She flinched when the blood began to drip down her face. “Thank you,_ princessa, _for the bite to eat.” He took his white sleeve to wipe the blood from his mouth, Victoria’s cheek, and her neck before leaving. Victoria shuddered as she left bringing her red hair to the right side of her neck to cover up the bite mark._

**❂❂❂❂**

            Isabelle remembered when Victoria came out of the Hotel she seemed her normal self and refused to answer Isabelle’s question. She’d grown so used to Victoria keeping secrets. It was just the way things were. It was the way things had always been, and there would be no changing it. The night afterwards Isabelle was helping Victoria to get ready for her first concert with The Mortal Instruments. When she was curling Victoria’s hair that was when she saw the irateze, a healing rune, on the side of Victoria’s neck.

            “What did you need that for?” Isabelle asked skeptically.

            “I hoped you wouldn’t notice,” Victoria sighed, “I hit my neck with the hairdryer this morning, and it left an ugly burn. I just thought I would try and get healed up before the concert, but I guess...” Victoria had just smiled and raise her shoulders. Isabelle met Victoria’s green eyes in the mirror and could tell she was lying.

            “I guess we’ll just have to cover it up with some concealer then.”

            Isabelle didn’t know why she went along with Victoria’s lie, but there was no need to get into a fight. Isabelle could figure out where it really came from. Finally, the cold had gotten too intense for her to handle anymore. She went inside to see if they’d gotten the fire to keep going.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! :)


	10. Chapter Nine: Magnus, Leo, and Gaea

** Chapter Nine **

**Magnus**

            Magnus had tried to get a fire going in the Institute’s most central fireplace in the library, but he was still very weak. Whatever force that had gotten to Victoria had done a number on him and the wards hiding the Institute, which was now visible to humans. Not that any had tried to approach the Institute. They were all too afraid to leave their homes, and for a good reason too. Magnus hadn’t dared to go home. There was no telling what lurked outside in the darkness anymore. Jordan’s last trip to deliver Simon’s note had been his last. Apparently he’d been stopped by some lower class demons, but they didn’t want anything from him. He said that they just stopped him and then kept on running. He also said they weren’t like the demons he’d seen during the battle of Idris. At first Jordan just thought that they were humans, but their eyes were black and that they identified themselves as demons. It was all too much to handle at the moment. Magnus massaged his temples.

            The angel Samandriel was right. All of the Nephilim were passed out on the couches in the Library attempting to rest up and save their energy which was slowly fading. The Immortals had retreated to some nearby Shadowrealm in order to heal and collect their thoughts. The Silent Brothers had yet to show up, only Brother Zachariah was still at the Institute trying to help as much as he possibly could, but what was happening to the Shadowhunters was unlike anything he'd ever seen. It was almost hopeless for their recovery without the aid of the other brothers. But Magnus figured that they, and the other Shadowhunters were busy dealing with the repercussions from the power shock that went across the whole planet. It was unbelievable. Maryse and Robert Lightwood had yet to form contact with their children, which was unusual. She’d left for Idris when Victoria had returned to the Institute. Magnus had assumed that it was for a request of more protection. Sebastian had kidnapped two of her wards, Jace and Victoria, and Clary had gone after Jace almost getting herself killed in the process.

            Magnus sighed in frustration and collapsed in a nearby armchair massaging his temples while wondering how Chairman Meow was fairing all by himself. That cat was his life now. He could starve. Magnus gave another sigh before shutting his eyes and attempting to get some rest. Which was quickly disrupted when the door to the Library slammed open and there was the clicking of heels on the stairs. Isabelle. Magnus groaned as did all of the other Shadowhunters attempting to sleep in the Library.

            “Was that necessary!” Magnus shouted jumping up from his chair before stumbling and falling back into it again.

            “There’s no need to shout,” Jace complained. Magnus turned around to look at him. His normal tan complexion seemed to extraordinarily pale and flushed. Magnus could hear that his breaths were becoming shallow. Magnus slowly rose to his feet once more and took a few stumbling steps towards the couch before kneeling next to Jace on the couch. Magnus placed a shaking palm on Jace’s wet forehead. It was abnormally hot, but nowhere near as bad as Victoria’s had been. Magnus grimaced at the thought of Victoria’s fever. It had been like there was and eternal hellfire burning inside of her. Now that Magnus thought about it in that sense it was a possibility. If Jace had angelic fire in him then it made sense that hellfire... Magnus shook his head. Honestly, how could his thoughts get into such a jumble? Oh yeah. Because of some dark evil force... thing. He seriously needed to sleep. Magnus figured that Jace would make a quick recovery. The holy... angelic...fire was probably the only thing causing him to have a fever. Magnus hoped that it was battling the darkness, but he honestly didn’t know.

            “How are they doing Magnus?” Isabelle asked curtly. Magnus glanced up at Isabelle. Her eyes were focused and Alec’s sleeping form. Alec’s chest was moving at twice the speed that it normally would. Magnus remembered the nights where he would just lay awake listening to Alec breathe. This was not normal. Magnus quickly scrambled to where Alec was laying on the padded carpet. His muscled arm was draped over his gorgeous blue eyes. However, Alec was not the image of beauty that he used to be. Is black hair was stringy and plastered to his forehead while his skin had lost all color. He was visibly shaking from the cold. It was hard to watch because there was nothing that Magnus could do to help him. Nothing at all. For the first time in his life Magnus was powerless, and could not help the person he loved most in the world.

            “Isabelle you should grab some more blankets to keep everyone warm whatever’s sapping their strength is taking away body warmth,” Magnus said tiredly before checking on Clary. She was in a similar state as Alec, but more pale. She was smaller and the darkness was working its way through her body quickly. Magnus really needed a different name for the... darkness. He shivered and felt a cold sweat begin to break out on his forehead. So it has begun.

            “Magnus are you alright?” He nodded weakly in response and stood up causing the blood to rush to his head, making everything spin. Magnus stumbled in the direction of Isabelle. He wanted to help her, but he was no help to anyone now. Magnus tripped on one of the area rugs and fell right next the Alec. Staring at the ceiling, Magnus instinctively took Alec’s left hand before drifting into a nightmarish sleep.

           

            **❂❂❂❂**

            **Leo Valdez**

            It had been a week since the crash of Argo II, just a few days since Leo made a vow to rescue Calypso, and just a day since they’d all survived the House of Hades. Now they had no ship and nowhere to go. The seven plus Coach Hedge and Nico were living on the streets in Epirus, Greece. Everything was in chaos and ruin. Fires sprung from the earth with no warning and the ground would shake. Gaea was awake, and this was the beginning of the end for them. Percy and Annabeth were in the worst condition out of all of them. Apparently Tartarus was not friendly to demigods. Shocker there. Percy and Annabeth were still very weak, and getting even weaker without proper nutrition and shelter. At the moment they were all trying to find and Olympian bank that would exchange golden drachmas for actual cash. They’d learned the hard way that no hotel or grocery store would accept the drachmas. They needed to get off the streets there were riots everywhere. The people were hungry and starving. From what Leo could tell the whole power grid was shut down, but no one knew for sure. With no power came no communication. You would think that the world’s leaders would have thought about something like this. Maybe they did, and now they were hiding in their safe underground bunkers.

            Leo let out a growl in frustration as he tried to hotwire a fifteen-passenger van, it was not cooperating. “C’mon! I’ve been hotwiring cars since I was ten!”

            “Hey cupcake,” Coach Hedge grunted, “what’s takin’ so long?” The satyr appeared at Leo’s shoulder leaning against the doorframe of the car for support.

            “I honestly don’t know,” Leo sighed in defeat throwing the wires against the panel underneath the steering wheel. “I’ve always been able to hotwire a car, but either I’ve lost the magic Hephaestus touch or the battery is dead.” Leo dropped out of the van and went to the front of the van, popping up the hood he saw that the insides were crispy. Leo muttered a curse in Ancient Greek and threw the hood down. He ran his fingers through his short curly hair only to realize that they were trembling. He didn’t know why, but it was probably from exhaustion or fear. Leo had always been the carefree one, but he was the only one who had heard Gaea’s voice in his head when everything went to hell. Only he’d heard how disgustingly happy it was now that she was out. Ever since then Leo felt frozen to the core; he was barely able to summon up a flame anymore. Since Leo had lost his sense of humor the whole group’s spirits had plummeted.

            Leo went to deliver the bad news. “Well it looks like this car is busted too.” It was the fifth car they’d tried, but this was the only one where he’d checked under the hood. “Everything is fried.”

            “What do you mean fried?” Piper yawned with her head leaning on Jason’s shoulder. Her eyes were beginning to droop.

            “As in toasted, burnt to a crisp, and before you ask no I didn’t do it. I bet you it’s the same with all the other cars why else would there be no one driving around?” Leo pulled a couple pieces of wire out of his tool belt and began twisting them together not even trying to make anything, but just keeping his hands busy. “Guys what are we gonna do?” Leo leaned on the wall that everyone had their back up against and slid down to the pavement next to Jason, who passed him a nearly empty water bottle. He took it and drank greedily the heat was getting too intense even for Leo. One moment it would go from stormy rain to snow to heat. Last time Leo checked Gaea didn’t control the weather. This heat sure had its way of making him tired. Leo yawned leaning his head back against the stone wall before drifting off into a restless sleep.

**❂❂❂❂**

**Gaea**

Gaea screamed in fury when she discovered that Percy and Annabeth still lived. She may not need them anymore to come to life, but they were still alive. Only her husband could make the mistake of letting them getaway. She took a deep breath and smiled. _No matter. I’ll take care of them on the battlefield. It’s simpler that way._ She’d given them the chance to join her and live, but they’d refused. How foolish children could be, and who should know better than Gaea. She smiled. So many children to come to her aid. Aid. No. So many children who needed help to be back on top. Gaea sat atop Mount Olympus in Greece laughing at how far her grandchildren had fallen in their splendor while she never faded. She would always be the Earth never discarded, and always there. They’d once been worshipped and even feared, but now they have slipped into myth and legend for almost all of the human population. They would never be worshipped again. Not even by the demigods, which was understandable the “gods” treated their children horribly. They’d shut the demigods out hoping that with their presence no longer on Earth that Gaea would go back to sleep. They never stood a chance. Once again she smiled. She had to stop that quickly she let the smile slip from her face.

Gaea stood from Zeus’s old throne letting her black and green dress trail behind her. With a crown of twigs entwined in her hair, that was the color of tilled soil, Gaea walked onto the balcony that overlooked the real mountain and the valley that lay beneath it. She looked on as the small cities below burned. If she strained her ears hard enough she could hear the screams of the people below. Gaea closed her eyes and stretched her arm in front of her palm facing down. When she made a fist a giant crack emerged in the Earth’s crust swallowing several streets and people below her. Silence followed, everything was peaceful. Her children had assembled all of the people in several blocks and now all of them had fallen to their deaths. They would end up in Tartarus, and what wonderful play things they would make. The whole world would bow down her superiority no weapon on Earth could kill her. No weapon of the gods could weaken her. She would reign forever.

“Gaea,” a voice cut through her ideas of the future. It was that Nephilim boy. Gaea fought the urge to kill him where he stands. He was a traitor to his own people. There was no room for him in her family. Sadly, she could not kill him, not yet. He would make her kill him in time, and for now she enjoyed toying with him. Gaea enjoyed seeing him hold back his revulsion of seeing the woman he loved controlled by another being. She turned around and used Victoria’s womanly wiles to make him uncomfortable.

“Sebastian darling,” she allowed Victoria’s British accent to slip through and saw him flinch. Apparently Victoria’s soft and sweet voice didn’t mix very well with Gaea’s low and sleepy one. She approached him with open arms and a smile plastered on her face. Gaea pulled Sebastian into a tight embrace feeling him tense up as she did. Gaea fought to hold back her laughter as she could feel his body trembling wanting to give into Victoria’s body, but knowing that he couldn’t. Gaea let him go and let concern show on her face. “Are you alright? You’re shaking?” She gently brushed a white blonde strand of hair off of his forehead.

Sebastian nodded. “I’m fine just a little tired,” he lied. Gaea tutted.

“Well we can’t have that. I must have my leading general in tip top shape. Here,” she ushered him to the massive table in the center of the great hall, “have a bite to eat.” With a swish of her hand Gaea summoned an assortment of fruits and bread. Gaea sat down in one of the twelve chairs and gently picked up a grape before popping it in her mouth. Sebastian didn’t budge. _Pity._ “Well Sebastian have a seat.”

“I don’t think I should,” he said hesitantly.

“Sit,” Gaea ordered with her voice echoing across the stone archways and vaulted ceilings. Sebastian jumped and hastily sat in one of the throne like chairs. Gaea smiled. “Good.” She picked up a golden goblet of nectar and took a small sip. Gaea sighed. “In all my years asleep I have missed the food of the gods. Now,” she rubbed her hands together only to notice that her fingertips were stained with blood. She carefully examined them. _No matter._ “I believe we must discuss the fact that I don’t have my demon army yet.” Gaea allowed her voice to sound sickly sweet though in reality it made her disgusted with the fact that she was sitting at this table with a foul and pitiful creature.

“The army is assembled milady, but they don’t seem keen on serving you,” Sebastian whispered. Gaea’s facade of serenity and peace faded and became the woman of fury.

“What!” The food on the table lit on fire causing Gaea and Sebastian to jump back from the table. The fire disappeared as quickly as it came. Gaea stared greedily at the burnt food. _It seems that little Victoria has a few more secrets to tell._ “Sebastian,” Gaea began, “I will talk to the demon army of yours and any who refuse me will die. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” he voice wavered.

“Very good. Now leave. I must communicate with Victoria’s former friends. It’s best to keep them up to date about what’s going on.” With that Gaea walked to Zeus’s throne and slowly sat down allowing her head to fall back as she drifted off into a trance.

  
  



	11. Chapter Ten: The Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have fun. There is quite a bit of angst in this one.

 

Chapter Ten

THE DREAM

Magnus and Leo woke up in a meeting hall of some sorts along with Will, Jace, Isabelle, Clary, Alec, Chiron, and Nicholas Flamel. Surrounding them were several giant white arches that used to glow with a heavenly life. A wind rustled around them bringing with the smell of death and the sound of millions of souls burning. The trees drooped and had lost all color. Everything that used to be vibrant and alive was now dead. The once elegant white round table sat cracked in the middle of the broken marble floors. Magnus, Chiron, and Nicholas recognized this place as Victoria’s true home. The one from an ancient civilization that no one remembers. Whenever Victoria needed to speak to them in private she would summon them in a dream to her home in her mind, a mind palace, but then it had been vibrant and full of life. Victoria would always have one of her happier memories of her home surrounding her. The king and queen always full of warmth and love while her siblings were always goofing off with Victoria. It was always a sight to see Victoria before the curse. But now her mind palace was grey and the valley that lay below them was burning with fire.

“Where are we?” Will asked his voice coming out in a whisper that then echoed across the vaulted ceilings making his wince.

“We’re in Victoria’s mind,” Chiron answered. The old centaur had swapped his horse form for his wheelchair.

“Her mind…” Will echoed. The centaur nodded. “Why would we be in her mind?”

“Under normal circumstances this place would be used as a meeting room of sorts when Victoria needed to talk to Magnus, me, or Nicholas.” He sounded weary as his eyes bounced around the meeting hall, soaking in how dark the place had become since the last time he’d been here.

“Wait so whose brain are we in?” Leo asked nervously. It was the first time that anyone had noticed him standing in the corner.

“You met her once, Leo. She was the red head that greeted you when you first came to Camp Half-blood.”

Leo raised his eyebrows before a realization dawned on him. “Oh, you mean archer boy’s girlfriend,” Leo pointed at Will before quickly bring his hand back down, and stuffing it his tool belt. It was still shaking. Gaea’s voice was nagging him again. It was stronger here.

The Shadowhunters had slumped in the chairs that surrounded the broken table, except Isabelle who stood tall with her brow crinkled in concern for her brothers and Clary. Will slowly approached the table and glanced at Isabelle before taking a seat. He only looked a little bit better than the sick Shadowhunters there was still some color in his cheeks and his blue eyes still held a spark of life in them.

“Will, buddy, you don’t look too hot,” Leo walked over to Will and took the seat next to him.

“I could say the same about you, Leo,” Will laughed weakly.

“Yeah, well, that’s what happens when I’ve been living on the streets of some god-forsaken Greek city for a full week. All the while out running mobs and attempting to find somewhere to stay, and I’m starving.”

“What happened to the Argo II,” Will asked as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

“It crashed when Gaea rose,” Leo whispered. His words were haunted with fear and his voice cracked on the word “rose”.

Will’s eyes snapped open and he sat up straight. “The Argo II crashed a week ago when Gaea rose?” Leo nodded. “How did she… a week ago? That’s when Victoria disappeared. Could Gaea have taken Victoria?”

“I’m afraid that it is much worse than that,” a voice called. Everyone turned to look knew that sweet voice. At the end of the meeting hall were stairs leading nowhere at all, but it was who was coming down them that made them all gasp. She stood draped in sunlight bringing life and happiness to the hall again. She was clothed in a white dress that shimmered and trailed down the stairs as she glided effortlessly down them. Her golden red hair was braided over her right shoulder; she even had a smile on her face when she greet them. Victoria’s soft green eyes landed on Will who had stood from his seat and rushed forward to the foot of the stairs. When she took Will’s arm there was a burst of bright light that draped everyone in light. It was blinding and shocked all of the inhabitants of the hall. The sick Shadowhunters covered their eyes while everyone else just squinted to see past it.

Now Will and Victoria stood by each other’s side looking every inch of the power couple they were. All light and brightness. Blonde and red. Blue and Green. An elegantly tailored white suit and shimmering white gown. The couple that has been written in the stars all across time. Chiron smiled and sighed. _At last,_ he thought.

Isabelle stood in shock at the sight of Victoria, never in her life had she seen Victoria look so happy. Leo merely whistled at the sight of them together.

“Well you two clean up fast,” he commented. Victoria laughed and rolled her eyes as she set a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“It’s good to see you too, Leo.” Leo felt an intense heat pass through his body at her touch and all the little pains he had felt and his hunger subsided.

“You healed me?”

“Actually it was more of a team effort,” Victoria said staring up at Will with such love and hope it almost brought a tear to Leo’s eye. Almost.

As a son of Apollo Will had the natural ability of healing, which had left him after the explosion of dark energy. Will just nodded and smiled as well. There were a few more friends who needed their help. He guided her to Alec whose breathing has become increasingly labored. Upon treatment he let out a small sigh and stared up at Victoria in awe.  


**❂❂❂❂**

After healing everyone I took a seat next to Will and wanted to out rest my head back against the chair and rest. Healing had taken up more energy than I would have liked, but it wasn’t affecting me any if I wasn’t in control of my own body. _Now there’s a bitter thought._

It was odd seeing people besides Magnus, Nicholas, or Chiron in my sanctuary or mind palace, which is what they prefer to call it.  I hadn’t summoned them. I would never… but Gaea might have. I fought back a shiver that threatened to break my composure. My composure was something that I needed right now. I would not let them see how tired I was. How broken I was or how scared I was.

            I was no longer in control of myself and it scared the living daylights out of me. All I could think was ‘Why me?’ After thousands of years I’ve never gotten the answer of why I was cursed to live such a horrid and dreadful existence. No one ever told me why I had to save the world or why I never got to be happy. No one ever-----

            “Victoria?”                                                                                                   

            “Hmm?” I looked up from the table and met Magnus’s cat-like eyes.

            “Are you alright?”

            “Yeah,” I replied weakly. In truth I was not alright being tortured day in and day out was not the ideal vacation. I felt my resolve begin to crack, the mere thought of torture brought up the memories of Sebastian. I was angry and in pain. I felt my face and shoulders tense up as a recalled everything that he did to me. The whipping, the burning, forcing the contents of the Infernal Cup down my throat, and the staring. He would just sit there is stare at me hungrily, but me being the lucky person that I am I was rescued before he could do anything about his hunger. The thought of me being lucky made me laugh. The mere idea was preposterous in itself. I was kidnapped, tortured, and nearly raped and no one knew why. Hell, I didn’t know why Sebastian did half the things he did. All I knew was that he was infatuated with me, and for a while I set all feelings aside for Will and just let myself live.

       

**❂❂❂❂**

            _“Tell me again why we’re going to Alicante,” I complained to Maryse. It was near the end of summer, and even though it had begun to cool down in Brooklyn it was still a scorching 90 degrees. Everyone else was wearing their gear, but I’d swapped out the black clothing for a pair of navy blue paisley shorts that reached my mid-thigh and a tank top decorated with orange, yellow, and red flowers. However I still wore my weapons belt that had multiple seraph blades, a few steles, and a witchlight. Across my back I had a quiver of arrows with my family Greatsword and a longsword. I carried my bow along with a massive gray duffel bag; I’d cringed when I saw how bland the color was, but Maryse wouldn’t hear my complaints just as she didn’t hear the last one about going to Alicante._

 _I knew why we were going, but it was bound to be such a drag. The resigning of the Accord._ Yay, _I thought,_ basically I get to watch a bunch of political Shadowhunters argue with a gaggle of political Downworlders. _Political Shadowhunters are worse than regular Shadowhunters. I looked around for Jace waiting for him to make a witty comment about my not wanting to go to Alicante, but he was caught up in an intense conversation with Simon._ Clary’s boy toys talking! I’m astounded. _Simon looked over Jace’s shoulder and made I contact with me, I looked away quickly. There was no need to stare._

_“Victoria!” Max Lightwood came running up to me his arms full of the Manga that Clary and Simon had loaned to him. He was nine but appeared even younger with his oversized glasses that were crooked on his nose. I laughed as he almost dropped all the Manga and set my duffel and bow down on the pavement to help him carry all of them. “Thanks Tori,” Max gasped._

_“Anytime little brother,” I laughed and messed up his black hair in which I received a sharp ‘Hey!’ from Max. This made me laugh even harder. “Why are you bringing so many of these with you?” I asked nodding at the manga in his arms._

_“Why shouldn’t I?” He asked defiantly. I threw up my free hand in surrender at the ferocity in his voice before he cracked a crooked smile. I always thought that it was one of his best features, and I just knew it would be a lady killer eventually. Out of nowhere there came a bloodcurdling scream. I whipped my head around just in time to see Madeline falling to her knees from a fatal wound given to her by a Forsaken, the products of mundanes with runes on them. They were mad and they were everywhere. I dropped Max’s manga books and pulled my longsword from its scabbard and place it defensively in front of me. I looked to where Madeline had fallen, and winced at the blood pooling around her. “Max, don’t look!”_

_“Max stay behind me,” I whispered as we backed up slowly towards the wall of the Institute. Magnus was furiously trying to get the portal open, but the Forsaken came up behind him a kept attacking him in a frenzy. The portal was our only way to escape from the Forsaken and the only one able to open it was about to be torn to pieces._

_“Victoria!” I spun towards Max’s screaming voice to see a Forsaken had taken him by the throat and was suffocating him. All of Max’s manga books fell to the ground as his nine year old hands tried to break the Forsaken’s grip on his throat. I charged toward the Forsaken quickly taking him out with a cut to the legs before decapitating him. Blood now decorated my long silver blade and my body._

_“Are you alright?” I asked bending over to look Max straight in the eyes. He simply nodded rubbing his throat where bruises had already begun to form. “Kay,” I took his arm with my left hand and dragged him toward Magnus who had successfully gotten the portal open and pushed him through it._

_The Forsaken kept on coming; there was no end to them, and everyone had realized that. Maryse and Robert were ushering Alec, who was supporting Isabelle, and Jace, who was carrying a bleeding Simon. I anxiously looked from the portal to my abandoned duffel bag and bow before making a run towards them. The duffel was not something I was willing to part with._

_“What are you doing?” Jace shouted after me as a sped past my family paying them no attention I ran toward the duffel taking down twenty Forsaken before I reached the duffel. I threw the strap over my shoulder and picked up my bow with my left hand. The path that I had cleared was filled up with Forsaken again. I growled in frustration and let out a yell as a slaughtered another twenty Forsaken to get back to the portal. I ran into the vortex shoulder first._

_I woke to Maryse’s angry voice and her blue eyes staring down at me. My head was ringing as Jace pulled me to my feet. I glanced around me to make sure that everyone was alive and sure enough they were, even Simon. I was drenched from head-to-toe in blood, Izzy was favoring her right ankle as Alec put and Iratze on it, Jace was alright besides from a gash on his left arm, and everyone else was fine. Except Simon, who was still unconscious._

_“Victoria Carstairs, you listen to me,” Maryse grabbed my arm and forced me to look her in the eye. “What the hell did you think you were doing running back out there for a bag? You could have gotten killed! What was so important?” Her blue eyes appeared almost wild as she shook me by the shoulders; she wasn’t really angry just concerned for my safety._

_“It has my violin, my family ring, and something else very special to me which you will all see come the signing of the Accords,” I replied calmly. That made Maryse stay quiet; she knew how important my family heirlooms were to me._

_I turned away from Maryse to see Alicante which everyone had described is stunning, but stunning didn’t do Alicante justice. The Demon Towers gleamed in the Sunlight and appeared to be made of glass; they surrounded the whole city earning Alicante the name The City of Glass._

_“It’s beautiful,” I whispered as I made my way toward the city gates. In all my life I’d never seen something so beautiful, even Olympus was nothing compared to Alicante. The city itself was ancient, but did not appear to be rundown at all. Everything was made with honey colored stone and had a red tiled roof, making everything to appear as if it were on fire. None of the Shadowhunters buzzing about gave me a second glance, apparently a blood covered teenage girl was the norm these days._

_“Victoria,” Robert called, “you’re going the wrong way.” Sure enough the Lightwoods were turning right into an alleyway while I was merely following the crowd. I cracked a smile at him before spinning on my heel and running back towards him._

_Upon arriving to Aline Penhallow’s house Maryse and Robert gave us a once over before leaving for the Accords hall. She was appalled at my appearance more than everyone else’s tattered appearance, but she hugged me anyways._

_“Come in all of you,” she said paying the most attention to an unconscious Simon being carried by Jace. “What the hell happened to all of you?”_

_“We were attacked by Forsaken as we were portalling through,” Jace replied before lazily flopping on Aline’s sofa. I saw Aline flinch as he did so, I stifled a giggle._

_“By the Angel!” She exclaimed. “The Forsaken wouldn’t have attacked unless they were commanded to. Who would have­­­—“_

_“The same person who’s been trying to kill us for months,” Alec stated as he lifted up Jace’s mud covered boots to sit back on the sofa as well._

_“Valentine?” I questioned. “Why would he want that?” Everyone looked up at me in shock and as if I was stupid except for Max who was mourning the loss of his beloved manga. “What? I haven’t been home all summer I don’t exactly know all the details.” I went to sit down on Aline’s floral love seat, but she stopped me._

_“You aren’t staining my new love seat with Forsaken blood. After you go upstairs and cleanup then you can know all the details. Now shoo.” She made a waving motion with her hands and gestured towards to stairs. “Second door on your right!” She hollered after me. “You’re sharing a bathroom with my cousin Sebastian.”_

**❂❂❂❂**

            I snorted and felt my temper rise. They really had no idea what was going on. _Victoria,_ I chided myself, _this temper is not you._ Not it wasn’t, it was Gaea’s influence beginning to take its toll on me. Not good. “No Magnus, I am not alright. You really have no clue about what’s happened to me do you?” He shook his head. “Of course you wouldn’t, how could you? How could you know about the army of monsters that Gaea is assembling or about the alliance between Sebastian and Gaea, and how he’s given her an army made up of demons? How would you know about me being Gaea’s vessel?” My voice slowly rose with each question. I pushed back my chair with so much force it shattered on the nearby pillar. I felt my fists shake with anger. “You know sometimes it astounds me at how ignorant and stupid you all can be.”

            “Victoria stop before you say something you’ll regret,” Chiron warned. That was when I felt all of my anger replaced with cold hatred. She was getting closer, but the feelings I was voicing were my own; it was her anger that was giving them fuel.

            “Regret? How can I regret something when this is the last time that I will truly exist in my own mind?” My shoulders began to shake as my muscles clenched tighter and tighter. The sensible part of me was trying to fight off all of the anger and pain that I had not been able to voice for thousands of years, but I couldn’t. I desperately wanted to stop myself, but I was not in control. All I wanted to do was have Will hold me, and I wanted to laugh with my brothers and my sister. That was all, but the universe decided that I didn’t deserve to have them. It decided that I should be hated for all of eternity. “My mind is a mishmash of memories that are mainly painful, they replay in front of me day in and day out. It is Gaea’s own way of torture. It’s brought up all the memories that I’ve fought to suppress. The memories of how you all let me down. The most recent one that I can think of it that you promised you would come and watch me perform with Jordan and the band, but no you all made other plans. That was the night that I felt unsure about, I knew something bad was going to happen, and it did. I got kidnapped by Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern,” I spat out his name as if it were venom.

            “Victoria stop!” Will shouted with everyone staring at me in fear including my three mentors. The light that I had radiated had turned blood red as did my dress. I went to turn my anger on Will, but the minute I saw that he was without fear all of the anger turned to sadness and fear turning everything white again. White for how I truly feel, I felt like that little girl who had lost her parents again. I stumbled backwards the anger was the only thing that had kept me standing. Will rushed to my side and lifted me in his strong arms being careful of the train of dress he walked me back to the round table and gently sat me in his seat.

            “Wow sister you sure know how to pack a punch,” Leo laughed nervously he was quickly shut up by a glare that came from Will. Isabelle and Alec wouldn’t meet my eyes while I felt wave of anger coming from Jace. Clary just sat there stone cold.

            “I’ve turned you all against me now,” I whispered. “That’s why she summoned you here, she didn’t want to turn me into some sort of martyr for the war. She wanted me to make you hate me, and I’ve done an upstanding job.” I shivered as goose bumps rose on my bare arms from fear. “Am I to lose everything?” Tears came flowing down my cheeks.

            _Mood swings_ , I thought, _often accompanied with possession in the deepest parts of your mind when there is nothing left._ I could almost hear Hodge Starkweather’s voice echo in my mind. I stood up in disgrace from my chair and turned my back on those I counted as my family, but I was beginning to think that they were not true friends and that I was alone in this world.

            “I counted you as my closest allies,” I began turning to face them once more, “but your silence is stronger than your words will ever be; that’s how it has always been. Silence is a death sentence when it comes from those you care about. I’ve learned that the hard way throughout my whole life. All you see before you is a monster—“ Magnus rose his voice in protest, but I silence him with a flick of my hand leaving him gasping for words.

            “Victoria,” Will hissed and I turned my stony gaze upon him.

**❂❂❂❂**

            Victoria had become enveloped in what appeared to be darkness; the same darkness from before. It covered her whole body turning her beautiful white gown to one of a deep raven black and her red hair instantly turned black when the darkness touched her. Even the meeting room turned to the original state they’d found it in. Victoria was no more. Gaea turned on them with a dark and mischievous smile. Her dark eyes struck fear in everyone’s hearts. The hall became increasingly colder as ice began to decorate the pillars and the table. No one dared speak a word to her and there was nothing left to be said. They knew who they were fighting and they now knew the consequence of opposing her. It would be Victoria.

            With no words spoken the nine knew that Victoria was not their enemy it was the being that controlled her, and it was almost impossible to win against the earth. There was nothing to be done now. Everything was lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooo.... yeah. Sorry.


	12. Chapter 11: Flashback

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!!!!!! Alright so I’m gonna finish up the flashback from the last chapter so that you can get to know Victoria better. BTW it’ll switch from Victoria’s POV (I) to Sebastian’s.  
> I know that you are probably confused with me rambling on about destiny and true love and soulmates, but I promise that you will get to find out eventually, and Victoria and Will’s situation will be elaborated on in the Prequel that I’m writing!! And FYI some of the scenes that I write are property of Cassandra Clare and McElderly Books. Thanks for being awesome and sticking with me. :) So comment and tell me what you think. :)

_I ran up Aline’s stairs as fast as I could eager to get the blood out of my hair, which had already begun to stiffen. She’d said second door on the right and that’s exactly where I headed. I entered what seemed to be a home away from home. Everything was Oriental styled from the bed to the paintings. The bedding was black and red with delicate little pink orchids on the white squares. I quickly stripped my weapons off my person and tossed them on the floor before heading to the door that attached my room to the bathroom I was sharing with someone named Sebastian. I turned the handle and pushed the door inward meeting a shirtless teenage boy. I let out a quick yelp when his eyes met mine. He seemed just as startled as I was._

_“I am so sorry,” I said taking a few steps back into the doorway._

_“It’s alright,” he replied lazily turning to face me without putting his shirt back on. Don’t get me wrong he was gorgeous; sculpted like most Shadowhunters with runes decorating his chest. He was every girl’s definition of tall dark and handsome; his pale skin was offset by his black eyes and black hair, which did not appear to suit him very well. However, there was just something about him that made my skin crawl, but I couldn’t tell what it was. I quickly turned my probably startled expression into a smiling face. He smiled right back as he slipped on a black v-neck t-shirt._

_“You must be Sebastian,” I said quickly sticking out my hand for him to shake._

_“Ah, yes,” he replied as he wiped his hands on a hand towel, “and you must be Miss Carstairs.” He took my hand in his and brought it to his lips planting a gentle kiss. I felt a shiver of revulsion pass through me, but managed to control it._ What the hell is wrong with me?

_“You’re not only handsome, but also gentlemanly,” I stated. Years of training as a “lady” and a professional liar allowed me not to show my real emotions. There was just something about him that I couldn’t identify that set me on edge. I felt as if I had to watch his every movement to make sure there wasn’t something devious behind it. Sebastian lowered his gaze to meet mine and I saw something flicker in them. Distrust? He knew I didn’t trust him, but how?_

_“You flatter me Miss Car-“he began._

_“Please,” I smiled, “call me Victoria.”_

_“Victoria.” The way he said my name sent chills up my spine; making me want to run and hide from his influence. I wanted to hide from his words that sounded sickly sweet and were supposed to make me trust him.  I wanted to flee from the words that sounded too much like mine. “I think you may have needed to use the shower?” He asked giving my body a quick onceover before pausing on my stomach. I raised an eyebrow at him. “You do realize that you’re bleeding pretty badly.”_

_“What?” I exclaimed looking down at the gash I hadn’t noticed. Sure enough there was a long slice across my midsection. How did not notice that? I poked at it, hissing as my finger came into contact with the bleeding flesh. “I’ve had worse; it’s not like that one time where my organs almost started spilling out of me. I never did catch that demon,” I added as an afterthought and shrugged._

_“Well from what I’ve heard about the famous Victoria Carstairs I’m sure you’ll track it down eventually.” He narrowed his black eyes and pulled a stele from his pocket._

_“Uh… what are you doing?” I eyed the stele warily and began to back out of the bathroom._

_“Relax, I’m just going to give you an Irateze,” he replied calmly not caring that I was trying to get away from him._

_“Thanks for the offer, but I should probably get Izzy to do it. Cause you know parabati runes are stronger.” I laughed nervously and felt color begin to rise in my cheeks. His eyes darkened and his smile was replaced with a frown. I’d offended him; he kind of looked like a wounded puppy and I felt bad. Maybe my bad vibes were wrong and it was just from the blood loss. “You know what?” He raise his eyebrow as if to say ‘what?’ “It is very sweet of you to offer,” I started, making my words sound as sweet as possible, “I will take you up on the offer. I’m afraid that I might pass out on my way down the stairs.” His face immediately lit up, and when Sebastian smiled boy was it breathtaking; I found myself smiling back. However I let it slide off my face as quickly as it came, because as many know bad vibes are not something to take lightly._

_“Do you mind hopping up on the counter?” He asked me. Gone was the innocence that I’d seen in his black eyes a few moments before. He was back to being the guy who turned out to be the serial killer at the end of a horror movie. Like at first they’re all sweet and terrified and then BOOM they’re the killer. Yes, I’ve seen enough mundane movies with Percy, Will, and Annabeth to know this. Warning bells went off went off in my head. Please don’t be a serial rapist. Please don’t be a serial rapist. God knows I’ve been there and I’m not going back._

_“Why?” I asked. Sebastian scrunched his eyebrows at me._

_“Well,” he began scratching the back of his head. “It’s easier than me bending over and staring at your stomach, since I’m taller than you.” Now that he mentioned it I was looking up at him, and I was on the taller side for a girl._

_“Yeah that would definitely be creepier,” I said under my breath._

_“What was that?”_

_“Nothing,” I replied brightening up the tone of my voice quickly. “It’s just that I’m from a big city, and you can never be too careful.” I was lying through my teeth. If I was being honest I could take any mundane that tried anything on me, but there was a time when that wasn’t true. Plus, Sebastian is a Shadowhunter; he’s far more capable of taking me out, but if he tried he would probably get knocked out and get castrated in the process._

_“There’s nothing to apologize for. It is a strange request,” he smiled. I could tell it was forced, it was almost too sweet for his own good. “So could you?” He nodded with his head at the counter._

_“M’kay,” I mumbled and slowly hopped up on the counter. I lifted my eyes to meet his and felt a wave a nausea hit me and unsuccessfully stifled a gasp._

_“Are you alright?” He rested a hand on my shaking shoulder as I tried make the room stop spinning._

_“I think I could really use that iratze now, and maybe a blood replacement rune too.” Sebastian nodded._

_“Could you possibly take your shirt off? It’ll make getting the iratze on easier.” He added hastily._

_“Uh… sure,” I huffed and brought the ruined shirt over my head._ Calm Victoria; he is just trying to be helpful. _I leaned back on the counter giving him easier access to the cut that decorated my stomach along with runes for strength, speed, and countless others. Needless to say when I was at Camp Halfblood or anywhere else for that matter, this daughter of Poseidon did not wear a bikini._

_“Alright, good as new.”_

_“Really?” I glanced down at the new rune on my stomach and the already healed cut. “I think you might be the best at applying runes. I didn’t feel a thing.”_

_“That was the point.” He winked. “Have fun taking a shower,” he said before leaving to his bedroom that connected to the bathroom._

_“What the hell?” I whispered after the door had closed behind him._

**❂❂❂❂**

            _“Well you certainly clean up nicely,” a voice came from the door next to mine as I exited my room in clean gear. For the past half hour I found myself dwelling on the question that is Sebastian Verlac. Something about him screamed “DANGER!” and “You can trust me.” I really have no idea; in all my lives I’ve learned that trusting my instincts is the way to go. They’ve kept me out of near death situations for thousands of years. I’d best stay away from the boy. Forget about the boy, but then why was he just still there in my thoughts. I couldn’t forget him because he was standing there looking smug and like the Devil Incarnate. In fact he terrified me, and not many things do._

_“Well I see we haven’t reached the phase of ‘you can trust me’”, he said detaching himself from the doorway._

_“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” I replied as I spun around to close my door, “I just don’t know you.” He couldn’t know. If I can hide my feelings from an all-powerful being, my father, then I can hide them from Sebastian._

_“I think that I will have to change that,” he whispered as he passed me. My jaw and fists clenched as he walked down the stairs. Shoulders back and spine straight, I followed him._

_“Why would you want to get to know me?” I questioned adding flirtatious smile for effect. I immediately wanted to throw up what little food I had in me when he spun around and stared into my eyes. I’ve met many dark presences in my time, but those were nothing compared to the dark aura that he was putting off. While mine was gold, his was black in never-ending. It was as if I was being swallowed into the pits of Hell. I’d never seen an aura that black, and I met Hitler. Let me tell you that man was as bad as they come, but his aura was black like a pair of ballet flats; it was nothing compared to Sebastian’s. There was something about it that reminded me of something demonic._

_“I don’t know; maybe it’s my secret mission to seduce you and then kill you,” he whispered intensely._

_“I would like to see you try,” I replied darkly and finally let my emotions takeover. I allowed my green eyes to dance with fire and hate. I stalked past him and glided down the stairs._

**❂❂❂❂**

            She doesn’t trust me, _Sebastian thought as watched her glide effortlessly down the Penhallow’s stairs. Victoria was the only one to question him, but even then she didn’t guess his identity. His father wanted her dead, and now he knew why. Valentine had said it was because she was the bastard of a traitor, but Sebastian knew it was because she was the only one that would be able to see through their plans._

I need her to trust me. _The need was unbearable. They were too much alike. They hid behind sweet words and fake smiles al just to mask the pain. For some reason she understood him, and that was what drew Sebastian in. He could kill Victoria without getting her to trust him, but he didn’t feel the need. He couldn’t just let someone who could understand him be taken by the grips of death. He needed her to understand; he thought that he would need his sister to understand, but knowing someone just like you is different. Sebastian quickly followed Victoria down the stairs not attempting to talk to her. If he was her he would need time to cool off too._

 

**❂❂❂❂**

            _I left my anger behind on the stairs, but if Sebastian tried to talk to me while I was in this mood I was likely to take is head off with my seraph blade specially designed for me by Charles Beckendorf, son of Hephaestus, back at Camp Halfblood. I told him to ask no questions about the blade and he complied. The blade was named Ariel, no not like the Disney princess it’s pronounced the way the crab from the Little Mermaid would pronounce it, with a celestial bronze tip. It could kill monsters and demons; Beckendorf although curious knew that if he asked question he would get no straight forward answers._

_“He’s cute for a vampire,” Aline said as I walked down the stairs with Sebastian on my heels. Well, Simon was awake. Aline may or may not have an unhealthy obsession with all things to do with Downworlders._

_“You’ll have to forgive her; she has the face of an angel and the manners of a Moloch demon,” Sebastian said with a smile and eased his way past me on the stairs. I tried my best not glare at him as he did. “I’m Sebastian Verlac.” He held his hand out to Simon._

_“I don’t shake hands with Downworlders,” Aline said. “They have no souls, you know. Vampires.” I tuned her out as I sat on the arm of the couch that Isabelle and Simon shared. It was very ignorant of Aline to say something like that; I’ve only known Simon for a couple of weeks and he had more of a soul than most Shadowhunters. Sebastian was scolding Aline until Simon stood up from his seat and walked into a patch of sunlight._

_“Simon what are you doing!” I exclaimed trying to bring him out of the sun, but nothing happened. “Simon?” I’d seen Vampires burn in the sunlight many times, but Simon did not._

_“So it’s true,” Sebastian said with curiosity lacing his words._

_“What’s true?” I whipped my head around to look at him._

_“He can walk in sunlight.”_

_“Well thank you Captain Obvious.”_

_“You are most welcome Sergeant Sarcasm,” he replied calmly. Everyone was looking at us with wide eyes, even Simon. They could sense the battle of wills in the room. I looked into his eyes once more and only found laughter. I tried to fight off the smile that threatened to reach my face, but failed. He was hard to resist._

_“My eyes!” Jace moaned cutting through the silence. I shifted my gaze to Jace afraid that something had happened. “When will the flirting ever stop? My poor virgin eyes can’t handle it.” I rolled my eyes at his ridiculousness, but before I could get in a word about flirting Isabelle cut me off._

_“We all know that the virgin thing is a lie Jace. Wasn’t there that one time that you went to Taki’s by yourself and didn’t come back until early in the morning?” She wiggled her eyebrows at him causing Jace to blush._

_“They really do let you do whatever you want in New York, don’t they?” Aline said sounding half-horrified and half-envious._

_As they were all mocking Jace and his non-virginess the living room was filled with burning red and gold light. “The Gard!” I yelled jumping up from my seat and unsheathing Ariel from my belt. Sebastian was on his feet as quickly as I was. I gave him a brief nod before Isabelle and I ran out the door and yelled after Aline to stay with Max. Izzy and I were running at the same beat with Sebastian, Alec, and Jace right behind us. The hill up to the Gard was clogged with many Shadowhunters most of whom had no gear on. I huffed in frustration; the Clave really needs to get their act together. We need a standby army of Shadowhunters not random citizens they can summon at a moment’s notice. Izzy and I elbowed our way through the crowed and were handed seraph blades and swords._

_“What’s happening?” I shouted to man passing out weapons._

_“Valentine has a group of demon’s ransacking the German countryside!” He shouted back before pushing me through the portal._

_I was met with the screams of my brethren and the sound of blood being spilled. The grass at might feet was covered in black ichor mixed with the red blood of the Nephilim. Isabelle stood next to me examining the carnage to see where we were needed the most. Jace, Alec, and Sebastian burst through the Portal after us. When we were lined up we ran as one to the demon’s right flank. The sounds of battle left me and all I was aware of was the pounding of my feet on the trodden grass, the sound of my even breathing, and Isabelle bringing her electrum whip to life. Jace and Alec broke off from me and Isabelle while Sebastian was ten steps ahead of us._

_When we hit the row of demons I brought my seraph blade level with the first one that I saw and shouted “Ariel!” The name of an Archangel had great power on a seraph blade it cast a heavenly light around me burning the demons that had encircled me. They whispered ungodly things in their demonic tongue. “Restrain yourself or I’ll cut out your tongue,” I yelled over the sounds of battle in their guttural language. “My name is Victoria of the Ancients you are right to fear me!”_

**_DIE VICTORIA OF THE ANCIENTS AND OF THE RACE NEPHILIM AND OF ANGELS AND OF GODS IT WILL PLEASE THE MORNING STAR TO HAVE YOUR HEAD DELIVERED TO HIM._ **

_I smiled at them thinking they could kill me. It was not one of happiness but one twisted in disgust and charged at the Hellhound in front of me briefly thinking,_ I’ve seen bigger. _Without hesitation I slit the demon dog’s throat with one quick flick of my wrist. The circle of demons surged inwards as I took them out one by one. I stabbed and I sliced but they kept on coming. There was no end to their numbers. How had Valentine gotten so many demons this close to the border of Idris? No matter. I fought my way out of the demonic circle. The demons screamed and squirmed underneath my blade and my glare. They died as quickly as they were able to fill the spots that opened. Through on of the openings I saw Isabelle whipping demons like no tomorrow with a grin on her face, but what she did not see was the Scorpios heading straight for her._

_“Izzy!” I screamed running forward; I wouldn’t be able to reach her in time. “Isabelle turn around!” PLEASE! THE GODS ARE NOT SO CRUEL! PLEASE NOT ANOTHER ONE! “IZZY PLEASE HERE ME!” The demons kept coming and surrounding me; Isabelle was not within my reach. My heart was pounding as tears began to slide down my face. I have to save her; it’s who I’m supposed to be. Please let me be in time. The desperation that I felt was unbearable; I could not stand idly by and watch someone that I loved die. Not again. I’ve lost too many friends and family. The Scorpios was almost upon her when a figure covered in black and ichor jumped on its back riding it as if it were a horse. The demon bucked, hissed, and snapped at the figure before he cut its head off in one quick downward stroke. The Shadowhunter then jumped off the demons disintegrating body and spun to face me. Sebastian? He collapsed on his knees and only then did I notice the gash on his chest from the Scorpios’ pincers. Isabelle still hadn’t noticed the demon that had tried to kill her or the boy that had just save her life. My heart surged with gratitude for him as I raced down the countryside to help a Shadowhunter in need._

**❂❂❂❂**

            _“Is he going to be alright?” I asked Brother Zachariah as I waited in the Basilias for Sebastian. I’d sat nervously waiting for any news for the past two hours. After he’d stopped the Scorpios from killing Isabelle I’d run down to help him. The battle was quickly won and there were many Shadowhunters returning alive through the Portal, but there were just as many dead and injured._ This wasn’t a battle. Valentine was trying to weaken us, but for what.

_When I’d finally reached Sebastian there was already a decent sized pool of blood around him as his face was slowly drained of what little color it held. Sweat had started to bead on his forehead. One of the many signs of demon poisoning. He’d formed a fever; I attempted to give him and iratze like he had me, but it was just absorbed into his skin. I gently tried to bring him to his feet, but my strength rune had already begun to fade as I felt the first signs of exhaustion hit my body._

_Isabelle, Jace, and Alec were nowhere to be found so I couldn’t ask for their help, and every other Shadowhunter was helping his or her friends and family. While no one was looking I summoned up my aura to bring me as much strength as I could possibly muster in my weakened state. I brought Sebastian’s arm over shoulder. There was no way he was going to be able to walk in this state. I gave a shout in frustration and grunted in pain as I lifted the five foot eleven teenage boy into my arms._

_“Do you trust me now?” Sebastian whispered weakly._

_I shushed him through my physical agony. Each step was a struggle as my whole body screamed with exhaustion and pain. It was in this pain that I was aware of the little cuts that decorated my face, arms, and legs. I was adding to the blood on Sebastian’s chest just as he was adding to my physical suffering. My breaths were coming in as shallow gasps for air while Sebastian was breathing weakly but steadily. What little oxygen I could get was heaven to my limbs as I kept moving. If I stopped now we would not make it to the portal. Sebastian’s body began to shake and shiver. The masks that he’d worn were gone and he looked younger and freer._ Is this what I look like when I’m asleep _, I wondered. My mind wandered as my muscles began to spasm in pain.  My knees were about to give out on me any second and the Portal was swimming before my eyes. Darkness crowded my vision when I stumbled through it almost losing Sebastian in the whirlwind. The Portal deposited us in Angel square which was littered with bodies and the injured. I tried to get away from the Portal, but with one step came more darkness and pain._

_“By the Angel Victoria” was all I heard before my knees collapsed beneath me and a wave of darkness took me. However me being me I’d set Sebastian down first and then basically fell right on top of him. My head was resting on his blood soaked chest when Jace’s golden eyes were the last thing I saw before I passed out._

_Apparently Jace and Alec had hauled Sebastian and me to the Basilias while Isabelle had gone back to Aline’s to check on Max, and give Aline an update on me and her cousin. While I was still unconscious the Silent Brothers had placed and iratze on my shoulder and another next to the one that Sebastian had given me earlier. They’d also replaced the faded strength rune and gave me many energy supplement runes. I was, as the mundanes say, running on empty._

_I’d pushed myself too hard in battle, Brother Francis had said._

_That is false. I have dealt with much worse, but I would like to see any other teenage Shadowhunter attempt at carrying someone nearly two times their size after almost nearly having an emotional break down on the battle field while peppered with many small wounds that would not stop bleeding. Not to mention the teenage boy happened to be suffering from demon poisoning, so he was basically a bucking bronco in my arms, but also he is built like a freakin’ rock. I could feel the muscle ripple beneath his shirt as his body spasmed. Yeah, I pushed myself._

Victoria, _Brother Zachariah’s mental voice broke through my thoughts,_ Sebastian Verlac is going to be fine. We were able to extract the poison and then give him an Iratze.

_I sighed in relief and thanked Brother Zachariah for letting me know. “Can I see him yet?”_

Follow me.

_I did. When I reached Sebastian, color had returned to his cheeks, but he was still pale. He still had the same peaceful look on his face. I pulled up a chair next to him and was prepared to wait for him to wake up. I may not have trusted him at first, but that was before I realized that he was like me._

_Aline had come to check on him earlier, but the Brothers wouldn’t let her see him yet. She’d told me how he lost his parents when he was a child and was raised by his aunt at the Paris Institute. His masks were ones that I was familiar with, they were just to mask the pain from losing your family and many years of torture. Maybe that is why I didn’t trust him because deep down I know that nobody should ever trust me. I’ve mastered the art of lying to people’s faces, and so had he._

_I took one of his limp hands into mine. They were calloused from many years of weapons use but they were also slender like a painter’s. “I trust you,” I whispered to him, “because I understand you. You and I are alike, though I think that may be the one thing that will keep us from being friends. I don’t think I could ever be friends with myself.” I took a deep breath and felt a slight squeeze from him._

_“We’re not all that bad you know?” He whispered weakly before drifting off to sleep once more. I gave him a gentle smile while I nodded off with our hands still entwined. Human connection is what makes us feel most alive, and like we’re worth a damn._

**❂❂❂❂**

_For the next few days I tried to avoid sleep as much as possible; memories of battles long since passed still haunted my sleep. As did the faces of my friends back at Camp Halfblood who were left to defend the world against Kronos alone. It was a good thing that the New York Institute was empty now; war was coming to the streets of New York and no Shadowhunter would be able to stop it. I knew that guilt would haunt me for the rest of my life for not being there and protecting them, but it’s the gods will._

_As for the memories there was nothing that I could really do about those; they were just there and they weren’t going away. As much as I would love to block out the horror of the past however many thousands of years; I couldn’t. If I did that would mean getting rid of the good memories too._

            _Besides the constant nightmares that plagued me day and night life was pretty good in Alicante. Everybody was too wrapped up in their own problems to worry about me, which I suppose would have suited me fine if it hadn’t been for Sebastian. He was always there, either silently watching me with newfound curiosity or trying to strike up a conversation. I tried to avoid him as much as I tried to avoid sleep. So I suppose life wasn’t all that great if anything it was incredibly lonesome and tiring.  The only comfort I found was in the library with my violin._

            _I leaned into my maple violin and delicately began to work the bow and my fingers across the strings. The melody of the beautiful strings whispered up to my ears and brought a light smile to my face. It reminded me of a time that was more precious than life itself. The song was slowly growing louder and more urgent as my fingers worked faster across the strings. The urgency brought my heart rate up, but the smile never left my face as I reached for the highest not in the crescendo. I sighed and let the speed fall into a slower pace filled with sorrow for a long lost lo—I went sharp as the sound of raging voices reached my ears._

 _I sighed angrily and hauled myself of the chaise lounge in the Penhallow’s modest library. It was the only place that I hadn’t been bugged until now. I gingerly tucked my violin under my arm and wielded the bow as my weapon._ Just as I was getting comfortable and beginning to enjoy myself. _I was off to hunt Jace and a girl, whose voice I did not recognize. I left the peaceful library filled to the brim with books and stumbled into a war zone._

 _I squared my shoulders and followed a fuming Alec, who was tracking mud all through the house and onto the pristine carpets, into another library._ What the hell… two libraries in one house? Next to each other? Now that seems like a bit too much doesn’t it? _Alec appeared just as annoyed as I was._ _Alec marched through the doors not caring that it might have been a private moment, but I probably would have done the same thing._

_“What in all possible dimensions is going on here?” he said, looking from Jace and a small woman with flaming red hair with amazement. “Are you two trying to kill each other?”_

_“Not at all,” said Jace. I narrowed my eyes at him. His gold eyes darted away from me. He quickly wiped away all of his rage and panic; a trick that he’d learned from me. “Clary was just leaving.”_

_That’s when it clicked, and I felt ice settle in the pit of my stomach. Clary. Clarissa Morgenstern.  “So you’re Clarissa Morgenstern,” I said keeping my voice cool._

_Alec turned around and his blue eyes stared into my soul trying to get me to stop. His whole face just said “Oh shit”.  He knew that I only reserved this tone of voice for when I wanted information, and for when I was furious. He’s known me since I was seven he knew that my rage was not a fire, but it was ice.  
            “Clary Fairchild,” she quickly replied. _ She’s quick to cast aside her family name. Then again the Morgenstern name is stained with blood, but by throwing the Morgenstern name under the bus she casts aside Jace as well. _I saw Jace flinch at the word Fairchild. He had no love for Jocelyn Fairchild, the mother who left him, and believed he was a monster. In my opinion the whole family was dysfunctional, which made mine dysfunctional. Clary’s mere presence was setting me on edge. Her whole body language screamed love struck mundane teen, and not to mention her lover was her brother. She was upsetting the balance of my family which had struggled to stay together for many years._

_“Oh where are my manners. I’m Victoria Carstairs.” Even to my own ears I could hear how unnatural my voice sounded. I attempted at a smile, but it would not come. The fake pleasantries were something that I despised most in this world. They reminded me of politics, and I was a very good politician._

_“Victoria,” Alec hissed. He knew this tactic, I used it on every Downworlder that I had to lure into a trap, and this was my very own trap of words.  I glared at Alec and he instantly clammed up. He may be one year older than me, but he knew better than to get between me and a target._

_“Nice to meet you, Victoria,” she said warily, glancing between Alec and I before setting her gaze on Jace once more. He would not meet her eyes. That was when I snapped. She was relying on Jace to protect her from me. I stepped from behind Alec and pointed my violin bow at Clary._

_“Oh, I wouldn’t say that, you haven’t gotten to know me yet. You see I know you, but you don’t know me.” I narrowed my eyes at her once more, but she did not falter. She met my gaze and held it._ She was braver than I gave her credit for. Well she would have to be, she is Valentine’s daughter. _“For instance I know that you are the only daughter of Valentine Morgenstern and Jace here appears to be Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern. For the past sixteen years of your life your mother has had Magnus Bane wipe away parts of your memories that would link this world to your world.” I slowly began to circle her as if she were my prey. It may sound creepy, and it was, but I did not trust her as far as I could throw her. Which would be pretty far since she was so small. I may be jumping to conclusions, but she hurt Simon, one of the nicest people ever. She led him on, and I was willing to bet my immortality that she would do the same to Jace. Clary shrank back from me and was looking at Alec over my shoulder trying to get anymore help._

_“Clary I also know that Simon, your best friend, was in love with you. Emphasis on was, and I’ve seen what loving you can do to people. Simon, who was perfectly normal, is now a vampire because he followed you into this life, blindly. He would do anything for you. As would Jace. Now as much as Jace doesn’t want to admit it he is in love with you and you are in love with him. I have some advice for you Clary,” I took a step toward her looking down into her green eyes with my own. “If you so much as think of hurting my brother,” Clary opened her mouth to protest._

_“That’s right my brother,” I trampled over her words, “I will hurt you before you can hurt him, and that my dear is a promise.”_

_“Victoria!” Jace yelled at me from across the room. I stood upright and snapped out of my rage fit. I glanced down at Clary once more her eyes were as wide as saucers, but also held a sort of fire behind them. I stepped away from her and almost dropped the bow in my hand. My hand was shaking from lack of sleep and from me drinking way too much coffee._

_“What?” I sighed trying to hide my shaking hands._

_"Why are you bring so harsh to her? Clary is my family and she deserves your respect," Jace said coolly starring straight into my eyes. I bristled at his words._

_“Respect is not given just because of a family name or family ties. Respect is earned, and so far she has done nothing to earn my respect,” I replied hotly. If Jace thought that he could order me around then he was clearly mistaken. It would seem that all the familial cracks that we were having lead back to the moment Clarissa Morgenstern set foot in our lives._

_“Victoria, are you alright?” Isabelle’s voice came from behind me._ _Once I hear Isabelle's voice I snap completely back into reality and regain my calm exterior. It was enough to make the tension in my body vanish because I knew right when my parabati walked into the room someone had my back, and that gave me the strength to swallow the remainder of my rage._

_“No, no I really am not.” I put my bow under the arm that held my violin and wiped my hand across my face in frustration._

_“Alright why don’t you go and take a breather then. Then maybe we can sort out the whole you and Clary problem,” she suggested._

_“The ‘me and Clary problem’?” My voice began to rise again. “That’s not even what I’m dealing with, but you know what whatever. You deal with your precious Clary; I’ll go and deal with my own problems.” I spun on my heel and reached the door before putting in one last word. “I leave for three months and look what has become of us. We were a family that cared about each other, and now you all just care about two people. Yourselves and Clary.”_

**❂❂❂❂**

_It has been a few weeks since we have first arrived in Idris, and let’s just say my situation has not gotten any better. The nightmares have gotten worse. My relationship with Clary has not gotten any better, but it has not gotten any worse. However, I tend to stay away from everyone else now. They are all just too tangled up in the drama that I’ve avoided since I was away for the summer. Poor Max is getting the short end of the stick. No one will spend any time with him; I try my hardest to keep the nine year old boy entertained, but my heart just isn’t in it._

_The only constant has been Sebastian, and our relationship has changed. For the better or worse, I can’t quite tell yet. It’s gone from me hating him and making sly comments, to strange eye contact, to full on flirting. It might just be the exhaustion, nightmares, and loneliness getting to me, but he could make me forget all about my crappy situation; and about how trapped I felt here. I had tried to hold back and for a while I wouldn’t even meet his gaze, but he was the only one putting effort into a relationship with me, here in Idris._

_My retreat, which had been the library, was taken over by Jace. He mainly spent his time brooding. Now the only place I could find solitude and comfort was on the roof and that was where I intended to stay until I had my mind in the right place once more. My mind was being taken over by fear, and it was not a feeling that I was used to. Every step I took seemed to be haunted by fear and death. Something dark was lingering in the air; something unnatural and wrong. It terrified me. I’d become accustomed to tears slipping down my face without me knowing it, and that was no comfort._

_“You need some company?” Sebastian’s voice came from behind me. I didn’t turn to face him, but hugged my knees even tighter than before trying to hide my tears from him. He sat down next to me on the roof overlooking all of Idris. The moon hung low and was full, but there was something dark and foreboding about it. It spoke of death that would come in the coming days._

_A shiver passed through my body. It may still be summer, but the night air was cool and I was frightened. Fear seemed to be a feeling that I was getting used to. Fear for those close to me, and fear for myself. Sebastian placed his black leather jacket around my shoulders and sat quietly with me. I played with the zipper for a bit thinking of the pain that my friends would be going through soon. Camp Halfblood was alone in the fight in New York while the gods where trying to hold off Typhoon. It was only now that I was realizing that Idris wasn’t the place in need; it was my home that needed me. It was Percy and Annabeth. For god’s sake it was even Clarisse. I didn’t know how many warriors they had, but I could only hope that it was enough to fight off an army of mass destruction._

_In my heart I knew that there would never be enough of anyone to stop the army that Luke and Kronos had summoned. The thought of losing all of them plagued my dreams, and I’ve seen images of the streets of New York running with blood. A river so thick that I drags with it taxis, buses, and sleeping humans. The dreams had come for the past week that I’ve been in Idris and I can’t shake them. I gave up on sleep, but even then it was no relief. Waking nightmares was something that I’d never experienced before in my life, and I didn’t know what to do. I was too tired to train or even to keep up the cheerful sarcastic Victoria. I could not sit through Jace’s witty banter or watch him moon over his sister. I could not watch Alec get more and more depressed when what he really needed to do was kiss Magnus and then tell Robert and Maryse. I could not watch Isabelle try to act indifferent towards Simon when I knew that she really cared. I was too tired to deal with their problems, but in truth I don’t think they even noticed that I’d begun to slip. The only one who noticed was Sebastian and now here we were sitting on the Penhallow’s roof together in silence for hours. By the time I did speak the first rays of sun had begun to hit the buildings of Idris._

_“Thank you Sebastian.”_

_“For what?” He whispered._

_“For caring.” I turned my head to look at him. Something told me that he’d needed this time to think just as much as I had. The dawn had illuminated him and made him seem like a Morningstar. His eyes were narrowed and he sat so still that he could possibly be a statue. Like Jace he was almost catlike sometimes, but he truly was a sight to behold. Every inch of me wanted to lean over and kiss him. It wasn’t only that he was beautiful, but he was smart and intelligent. We were both spirits forged through fire and hardship. We’d learned to hide from those we loved most in this world. To be truly understood was something I’d never felt and it was something that I desired more than anything else in this world. Sebastian’s gaze suddenly penetrated mine and my breath caught in my throat, but this time I didn’t dare turn away. He smiled faintly._

_“You didn’t turn away this time.” I could hear the joy is his voice, but also a great sorrow and pain._

_“Please tell me what you’re thinking. I need you,” he paused, “I need you to help me stop thinking. Please, I think that you are the only one that can.” There was no longer any joy just pain._

_“I don’t think I’ll be very much help. I think that you and I are in the same place right now.”_

_“And what place would that be,” he huffed._

_“We’re regretting a choice that we will have to make soon. It’s a choice that could get the people we care about hurt and it could hurt many others as well, but in the end we have no other choice because we have other people depending on us too. We know what we have to do even if it’s not what we want to do because in the end we don’t serve ourselves really. At least not now. We serve them, those we love.” His shoulders tensed and I knew that I’d hit the jackpot._

_“You couldn’t possibly know all of that? You—“ He turned away and stood up from the roof._

_“It’s in your eyes,” I continued. “In your eyes I see pain and suffering. I see the same pain and suffering when I look in the mirror.” Sebastian tried to ignore me and began to walk away._

_“Please don’t,” I begged. “Please don’t turn away from me. I just—“_

_I took a deep breath. “I need you. I--” I grabbed his retreating hand and held it tight. His shoulders slumped._

_“Please Sebastian. I need you.” He squeezed my hand gently. I needed him. I needed him to be with me and help me. I needed him because he was the only one who understands._

_“You don’t need me. No one has ever needed me before why—“_

_I cut him off. “Maybe no one has needed you before, but you never knew me until now.” I let go of his hand to stand up. My knees ached in protest from sitting for a prolonged period of time._

_“I need you because you are the only one that could possibly understand me. I need you because I’m drawn to you for some unknown reason. I need you because you are the only one who has seen my pain for what it is. I need you because you understand that what I’m feeling can’t be fixed by nice words. I need you because my desire to be understood is so strong that it is unbearable. I need your wit. I need your smile. I need you,” I ended in a whisper and wiped away the stay hairs that had fallen from my ponytail. Sebastian’s back was still toward me, but slowly he turned around to face me and there were unshed tears in his eyes. I didn’t dare approach him or touch him because I would not want that._

_“Thank you,” he said softly._

_“For what?”_

_“For caring.” I smiled at him repeating my words._

_“I think that you just stole my words.”_

_“They were the only ones that I could think of, and they’re true,” he whispered gripping my hand tightly._

_I tilted my head and cocked my eyebrow. “Go on.”_

_“You cared enough to try and understand me, but you just really cared. No one has ever cared about me before.” He stepped toward me. I could have easily closed the space between us with two long strides._

_“Well I care about you.” My eyes didn’t leave his and there was an intensity behind his eyes that I’d never seen before. It sent chills down my spine._

_He took another step towards me. Only one more stride and I took it. I still had his jacket around my shoulders and he took advantage of it. Sebastian grabbed me by the lapels and pulled me closer so that our faces were an inch apart. I could feel his heart pounding in time with mine, and there seemed to be a sort of wariness in his eyes. Almost like he was afraid of what would happen. I licked my lips in anticipation and shut out all other thoughts eagerly waiting for his lips to connect with mine. Our eyes locked as he leaned down. My lips melded almost perfectly with his and there was something rushed and hungry to his movements. His lips were rough against mine and they were practiced. His hands slid down my sides to my waist sending a shiver through me. I gasped for air only having a second until I connected our lips once more. I ran my fingers through his thick hair not caring that it was tangled from the wind. It was everything I thought it would be and more._

_His hands were hot as they slid from my waist and up my back leaving behind trails of fire. They made their way up into my hair and he pulled the hairband out letting my red locks spill over my shoulders all the while pressing his lips to mine, not missing a beat. I eased my body closer so that our chests were touching and giving him permission to deepen the kiss. The intensity and ferocity behind each of our movements was unlike something I’d ever experienced. We were no longer Victoria and Sebastian, but tortured souls who only wanted to fall as hard as everyone else. Souls who wanted to be ignorant of the untold horrors of this world. Teeth grazed lips and hands messed with hair, and there was no telling of who did which._

_Neither was aware of what and who we were or where we were. All that mattered was his lips on mine and his hands on my waist. He had such a fiery passion behind every movement that I could hardly bear it. My heart was pounding so fast that I was afraid he would feel it through the fabric of my thin t-shirt. We only broke apart when the thud of his jacket hitting the ground startled us._

_“That was certainly something,” I breathed bringing my fingers to my lips. I could still feel his lips against mine and missed the feeling of his slight stubble rubbing against my chin._

_“Yeah it was,” He sighed. “I’ve never felt anything like that before.”_

_“Well maybe you’ll feel it again one day,” I teased. With the rising sun I could see his smile light up his entire face, and for the first time in weeks it actually reached his eyes. A smile spread across my face in response. I suppressed a shiver against the cool night air, but Sebastian must have noticed me tense my body because he slid his arms around me, keeping me warm. He rested his chin on my head, and I wrapped my arms around his waist eager for the extra warmth. I rested my head against his chest and took a deep breath. I felt guarded in his arms, but not safe. There is a difference, but at this point I did not care. All that mattered was us in this moment and nothing else._

_“You’re beautiful,” he whispered quietly. I smiled and looked up at him and gave him a slight peck on the lips._

_“And you are remarkable.” I brought my arms from around his waist and placed them on his chest. “We should go inside. It’s cold out here.” He nodded in response and took my hand placing a kiss on my open palm. His black eyes, which were filled with such love, never left mine; making the moment much more intimate and precious._

_I giggled and reached down for the discarded jacket: handing it back to him before kissing him on the cheek and abandoning the roof with Sebastian in tow._

_He walked me to my bedroom door before leaning down to kiss me once more. It was just a small peck on the lips, but it was enough to make me blush since we were in the middle of the hallway. Call me old fashioned but a kiss is meant to be a private and intimate moment, not something that the whole world can see._

_“Do you think you’ll sleep now?” He whispered with a small smile. Sleep. The nightmares. It was these words that brought my whole situation crashing down on me once more. Here I was kissing another boy while that boy that is supposed to be my one and only love could be bleeding out in the streets of New York._

_“I-, no. I don’t sleep much these days.” I quickly opened my door and muttered a quick good night before closing the door behind me; leaving Sebastian gaping at my odd behavior. My mind began to race again thinking of Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Chrion, Camp Halfblood, and Will, but also the thoughts of what would happen in San Francisco. What would happen to Jason, Reyna, Hazel, and Frank? All of my friends whether Greek or Roman were in more danger than many could possibly imagine. They were facing Titans! While I was here waiting for some documents to be signed to keep the peace. There will never be peace if one race thinks that they are above all the others. I’ve seen what that can do, and it leads to the deaths of thousands of innocent people. Peace is not kept by a piece of paper; it is kept by people getting along._

_I betrayed Will. I betrayed his love and my love for him, but I… My knees gave out beneath me and I slid on to the carpeted floor trying to hold back my sobs. How could I do that? How could I?_ Will has fallen in love with others and has watched you suffer for it, _the darkest part of me thought bitterly. But those times were lifetimes ago and he didn’t know me and didn’t know our fate and destiny. I just… The tears began to pour down my face. I placed my hand over my mouth holding back any sound that could possibly escape._

_My friends were dying and there was nothing I could do. The love of my life could have died while I was kissing another boy. Moments of vulnerability are my greatest weakness. Letting a stranger in is one of the stupidest things that I could ever do, and I’d done it. At the moment I’d felt thrilled and rejuvenated, happy even. It was nice to know that maybe just maybe I wasn’t alone in my fight and that someone else would be able to help me forget for just a little bit. Sebastian had, but he made me forget who I am and what makes me, me. I’d forgotten the most important people in my life for a kiss. I’d forgotten that they were dying and that when I got home to them, our numbers would be even fewer than they already are._

_The tears had stopped flowing as I slowly stood up from my position on the floor. No one would ever make me forget who I am and what I have endured to get this far in life. Not Sebastian, and certainly not Death. I had a little over a year until my eighteenth birthday, and this time I was determined to make it past midnight on my 18 birthday next year and finally be what I always have been, a survivor. I would survive the next year and half and I would live it to the fullest. I would not deny myself a friendship with Sebastian, but it could be nothing more. Will was the only one that I could ever love. The only one that I would ever love, and I would love him until the day I died (which at this point in time I’m hoping is never)._

**❂❂❂❂**

_When I’d come in from the roof it had been about four maybe five in the morning and there was no sound of movement from anyone’s rooms until about seven or eight leaving me time to cleanse and meditate. Yes meditation. It’s one of the only ways I remain calm and able to keep up the facade of carefree aloofness. I was a master at it unlike Jace, who Clary happened to walk in on kissing Aline. Oh the joys of a love triangle when one of them is your sister and the other a lesbian. I took a deep breath in through my nose and let it out slowly through my mouth. I was seated with my legs crossed in the middle of my room dressed in some light gear. It wasn’t that I was happy that Jace was in this position, but he’s basically my brother and out of all the love triangles he could have gotten himself into this is probably the worst. This really only happened in a novel or in one of Max’s manga, Angel Sanctuary. Izzy and I caught Sebastian reading it the other day. Anyways, yes familial love is one of the strongest loves there will ever be, but brothers and sisters should not go around kissing. It does make for some good reading though, thank you George R. R. Martin._

_I let out a deep sigh before stretching my legs out in front of me and reaching for my toes. My spine gave a loud crack causing me to hiss in pain before I felt relief. I guess that I’d been such a bundle of nerves lately that my body was paying for it. I leaned back from my stretching position and got into the position for pushups. Being a Shadowhunter and a demigod gave me the resilience of a vampire, that’s an over exaggeration, but It wasn’t until I hit about one fifty that I started to work up a sweat. It wasn’t until I hit about three hundred that I let myself stop. If I kept going it would only result in soreness and being sore results in a lack of mobility making me an easy target. I did not intend to be an easy target. All my life I’ve trained and have always been in fighting condition. Although it was always hidden under a layer of silks and petticoats. It wasn’t until the twentieth and twenty-first century that this began to change. Showing skin and being strong was becoming acceptable, and I intended to show everyone that I was strong. I was not some prize to be won. I was a strong as Jace, in fact I was stronger though he doesn’t know it. I hold back on missions. Jace is supposed to be the prodigy; we are the sidekicks and that’s how it appears. In reality there is always that one stray demon coming from behind that no one ever notices and I take it down. I was the shadow in the darkness that the darkness fears. I’d been trained in most forms of fighting since the dawn of time and have learned styles that are long since dead. It may sound like I’m bragging, but I don’t want the glory. Jace can have it, I just want my home and the people I love to be safe. Because there were those lifetimes that I wasn’t able of keeping them safe. That is something that will stay with me for all eternity. I’d trained to be a protector and that is what I intended to do. I intended to protect them. Jace, Isabelle, Alec, Max, Percy, Annabeth, Will, and everyone. I have to._

_I shook my head to clear away the dark thoughts before getting up from my sprawled out position on the ground. I walked around to the other side of my bed and picked up my duffel bag, pulling out my violin case and placing in gently on the comforter. Underneath my violin was a harvest gold, nearly brown, evening gown. I carefully pulled it out the bag relieved to see that Magnus’s charm had worked to keep it wrinkle free. It really did pay off to have a warlock as one of your best friends. I held the dress up to my body and walked toward the standing mirror in the corner._

_Will was right it was an absolutely stunning gown. I’d hauled him out with me shopping before I left to find a dress for the signing of the Accords. Though of course I told him that it was for a gala that the Enright’s were holding. The Enrights were incredibly wealthy so it’s normal to hold fancy balls and demand that the “granddaughter” they see only a few times a year be present. Anyways, as much as Will moaned and groaned about being dragged around New York City for a dress I could tell he’d enjoyed it. It had sent a thrill through my entire body when he’d said he would go with me. Because even though we’re in the middle of a war there is still room for the important things in life like shopping. Will had picked this one out and had ushered me to the dressing room without letting me even take a look at the dress first. He had an excellent choice is dresses. He told me that it looked as perfect as he thought it would. Only now as I was staring into the mirror at the layers of silk that spilled down beneath detailed embroidery and embellishments did I think of the way his eyes lit up when he saw me in it. I let out a happy sigh and twirled around the room before laying my dress on the bed and rushing into the bathroom for a shower._

**❂❂❂❂**

_I’d just finished wiggling myself into a pair of black skinny jeans (curtesy of Isabelle) when there was a strong knock on my door. I glanced at my reflection in the mirror, arranged my strawberry blonde waves neatly around my shoulders, and gave my eyeliner one last once over to make sure that it was even. I walked from the bathroom and around the corner to open the door to the hallway. My smile melted away when I saw Sebastian leaning in the doorway with a satisfied smirk planted on his face. My heart began to pound in fear. The fear was back. There was something almost feral about the smile. He looked as if he’d conquered something, and that something was me._

_“What are you smirking about?” I giggled nervously trying to keep my voice as neutral as possible as I anticipated the conversation that we were about to have._

_He didn’t say anything, but instead leaned forward and crushed his lips against mine. It was hungrier than the kiss from last night. It was harsher and not romantic in the least. He was begging me to return level of hunger that he felt for me. My lips quivered against his as I began to return the kiss._

_NO! I thought. I pulled my lips from his and slapped him right across the face. My hand left a bright red mark on his pale skin and his mouth gaped open. His black eyes were filled with betrayal and a fire burned inside of them. I knew that I’d awoken something that should have stayed dormant for forever, but I was doing this for me and Will not Sebastian. I raised my shoulders and stood tall not allowing his hurt expression get to me._

_“If you ever tell anyone about this I will slit your throat,” I whispered menacingly and stared directly into his eyes that reflected the pain that I felt when Will was with someone else. I pushed past the hurt man and slammed my bedroom door shut behind me_

**❂❂❂❂**

_I’d hurt Sebastian badly, and I felt like a horrible person. I threw myself on my bed after dinner in complete and utter defeat. I groaned into my pillow before flipping back over onto my back and staring at the ceiling._ There’s nothing really remarkable about ceilings _, I thought staring up at it._ Unless it’s the Duomo in Florence now that is a beautiful ceiling. The first of its kind. The Sistine Chapel was painted by… _I groaned out loud. My thoughts were getting away from me again. It was a defense mechanism. When I didn’t want to deal with all my emotional baggage I chose not to. Instead I chose to dwell on… Italian Renaissance art. Well that was one of many things, but… I gave a deep sigh and kicked my heels (that Isabelle has forced me to wear) off the bed. The other day Isabelle had noticed the “sexual tension” between me and Sebastian and had forced me to wear this outfit today. Fashion came with the price of aching feet and legs that felt like there were being constricted._

_“Ugh! Why!” I faked sobbed and rubbed my hands across my eyes. An action that I instantly regretted because when I brought my hands away they were covered in mascara and eyeliner._

_“As if this day could not get any worse,” I muttered angrily. I forced myself off my bed and into the bathroom I shared with Sebastian to take care of my little problem that quickly became a big problem._

_“Okay universe I get!” I basically shouted. “I’m a horrible person who you have to punish even more. It’s not like I’m already living a torturous existence or anything!” A torturous existence filled with horrible memories about people who were hurt because of me._

_I tried to coax myself out of thinking about anything painful, but my mind kept replaying the look of betrayal on his face. I splashed water on my face trying to wipe away the image that made me shake with guilt. That didn’t help at all. I slid to the cool tile floor and used the cabinets under the sink as I back rest. I let out another deep groan._

_Shame and guilt filled my whole body. I should never have let things get so far, but I was just so lonely. It felt good to have someone who was more like me than anyone else could ever be. The feelings that I felt for him could never, ever, ever be more than just feelings. I wasn’t even sure if they were actual proper feelings or me just being crazy and seeking some sort of assurance in this place. Idris was beautiful, but full of liars and politicians. Beauty just masks the darkness and corruption of this world._

_Another groan. Deep thinking. Lovely. I banged my head against the cabinets in frustration._ Why could I not think straight? Oh yeah it’s because the universe in punishing me for being horrible.

_I took a deep breath. I did this for me and Will. I did this for Will. Because no matter who comes along he will always be the one that I love the most in this world. Someone that I’ve gotten to know over thousands of years. Nothing could ever change that._

**❂❂❂❂**

_After I’d finished my mini mental break down I’d decided to change into something a little more comfortable so that I could lounge on the roof once more. I threw on one of Percy’s old t-shirts, which I stole from our cabin before I left, a pair of my own loose pajama pants that sat comfortably on my hips, and a tattered NYU sweatshirt._

_Feeling a wave of exhaustion hit me I staggered down to the kitchen eager for any form of energy supplement. Be it sugar or coffee I would find it and devour it. There were no lights on so I was feeling my way along the wall for the switch when the kitchen door leading to outside creaked open._

_I quickly straightened my back and eased myself into fighting position._ Who would be out so late? _Years of training kicked in as I threw myself at the figure in the doorway._ It was better safe than sorry. You should never trust a creepy figure in your doorway. _My body connected with solid muscle, but the force behind the jump was enough to knock them over._

_Our bodies fell together onto the tile and concrete; half-in the house and half-outside the house. From the “oompf” that he made I could tell he was male. The moonlight illuminated both of our faces casting ungodly shadows over his face._

_“What the hell, Victoria!”_

_“Sebastian?” I breathed._

_“What are you doing?” he shouted._

_“What am I doing? You’re the one sneaking back in at midnight!” All animosity I had toward him was temporarily forgotten as his gaze met mine. Even though it was more guarded than ever before it still made me feel like anything was possible._

_“Would you please get off of me,” he said sharply._

_“Uh… yeah… sorry.” I scrambled up off of him and straightened my sweatshirt and pants. The moon made Sebastian’s cheekbones stand out even more against his skin. I turned away from him not allowing myself to look at him anymore or else all of my psychoanalyzing of myself that I did last night was for nothing._

_I heard him shut the kitchen door as quietly as he possibly could leaving nothing but a tense silence between us. I could feel his presence behind me and it was no longer the same. It felt darker. Even darker than when I’d first met him; a cool sweat broke out on my neck as the silence drew on even longer. The being behind me was not the same boy that I’d kissed last night. This was a malevolent spirit and it was filled with hate, lust, and fury. My breath caught in my throat as he took a step closer to me._

_Sebastian cleared his throat. “Well, I’m going to sleep. Goodnight Victoria.” With those words the darkness was gone and I was at ease again. I felt myself cringe inside at how horrible I was this morning to him. He began to leave the kitchen before I asked him to stop._

_I mentally slapped myself._ You idiot! Now what are you going to do? Apologize and tell that it’s you and not him. _My lip curled into disgust at the thought._

_“Do you need something?” His words were tense and laced with a feeling that I could not place._

_“I just-uh,” I stumbled. Last night I told myself that I would not deny myself a friendship with him, but this morning I threatened him._ Very classy, Victoria. Super classy. _I sighed deeply. “Alright. No matter how I put this I’m going to sound like the most horrible person ever.” I couldn’t see his eyes and there was no way for me to tell what he was thinking, but by the way his fist were clenched I could tell that he was upset._

 _“First off I wanted to apologize for the way I acted this morning. It was uncalled for and you were just trying to be sweet.”_ Oh god I sound like one of those whiny teenagers.

_“You see after what happened last night I realized that it could never happen again because it shouldn’t have happened in the first place. There’s just…”_

_“There’s just what, Victoria?” He asked coolly._

_“There’s just complications. There’s a boy at home and by kissing you I betrayed my feelings for him, and you made me forget who I was,” I said as fast as humanly possible._

_“Is that a problem?”_

_“Making me forget who I am? Of course it is! All the feelings that I was…well… feeling up on that roof last night before you came along were me. Everything about them was me, but you took them away and I liked it. It was terrifying after I thought about it. It was… you made me feel completely different than I’d ever felt before in my entire life.”_

_“Victoria would you please get to the point,” Sebastian snapped._

_I took a deep breath. “What I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry and that I never should have allowed it to get as far as it did. And after all of this I was hoping that we could still be friends.” My voice went high on friends as the nerves finally took over._ God I was becoming a normal mundane teenage girl. _I waited for his response._

_“Did you just friendzone me?” His words were filled with warning and the darkness came back. Even with no light I could see how erratic and tormented his aura had become. I’d awoken a beast. His aura grew and enveloped him before disappearing altogether leaving just Sebastian._

_“Well, when you put it like that,” I laughed nervously trying to ease the mood. It didn’t work._

_“Yes I suppose we can still be friends,” he spat. His words were laced with venom and hate. I flinched away from Sebastian as he turned away from me and walked back to our adjoined rooms._

What have I done? _I let out the breath that I’d been holding and pressed my hands to my eyes. My hands were shaking and it was no longer from exhaustion; it was from fear. I was petrified. The sweet and charming boy who I’d kissed last night had turned into something dark and evil right before my eyes. I was responsible for that transformation._

_I no longer recognized the boy that I’d come appreciated or the boy that I needed now all I saw was something demonic. Something that I’d never seen before in all of my lifetimes._

_And I still didn’t know what he’d been doing out at night._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will finish the flashback within the next few chapters. Flashbacks from various parts of life will be thrown in occasionally. Let me know what you thought. :)


	13. Chapter Twelve: Angels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> . So I was originally going to have this chapter be from Will’s perspective but I realized that you would need some background info. So this is going to be a relatively short chapter from Michael’s (the archangel) perspective and trying to figure out all of this stuff to do with Victoria and her past. This chapter is going to pick up right after the end of chapter Seven, after Michael sounded the bells of war across all of Heaven. That’s right war is coming, but it may take a little bit longer that you’d expect especially to get everyone united in order to defeat Gaea. Anyways I’m super excited for all of you to finally know about Vic and Will’s past. So go crazy and enjoy the chapter!  
>  Love,  
> Bootzie2

The bells of war rang fierce throughout all of Heaven summoning every angel to their post and readying them for war. Michael stared across his domain in the sky icily and prepared to do whatever it took to take down the Pagan goddess who dared call herself the Earth Mother. He was ready for war and would put an end to the darkness that plagued this world. He would bring about paradise on Earth after this war was over, and he would fight this war with no care for how many lives were lost. That was the price of war and it would be paid because that was the price that God demanded.

            “You summoned me Michael?” The angel Joshua inquired as he appeared behind Michael.

            “You know I did, so there is no need to ask about it now is there,” Michael replied curtly.

            “As you wish,” the low-ranking angel bowed his head as Michael passed him. Joshua could tell there was something different about Michael, it was in his posture. He was stiff and radiated a form of hostility that Joshua could not place, however Joshua chose not to mention it. Michael was an Archangel after all and could end him with a snap of his fingers. “How may I help you?”

            “I have a few questions that I need answers to, and I figured that you would be the person who would know the answers I seek.” Michael turned to face Joshua and his golden eyes burned brighter than ever. They burned bright with the prospects of war.

            “I will tell all that I can. What is it you wish to know?”

            “This girl who embodies Gaea and was once the true vessel of Ariel, who is she? I’ve seen her face across all of time and history even before the Garden of Eden was created and the fall of Lucifer. I need to know what she is capable of if we are to win this fight against her.”

            “I presume you mean Victoria Carstairs?” Joshua questioned. Michael nodded in response before walking toward a newly erected throne and sitting in it. Joshua stayed a few steps behind Michael and stayed on the ground below Michael’s throne.

            “The story of Victoria is not one that I am too familiar with. The better person to ask would have been Metatron if he was still here, but I know enough.”

            “I don’t need a story I need answers,” he shouted in response.

            “I understand, but what I know of her is just myth and legend. She was first born in the second world, which was after the fall of the first world, Danu Talis, a place where beings with power ruled over humans who were subjugated to their very will. Beings that would start all of myth and legend,” Joshua began.

            “Yes, yes,” Michael said dismissively, “you speak of the first world and of the Great Elders, like Odin which would create god like beings for the early Scandinavians.”

            “Yes,” Joshua replied warily, “she is the “chosen one” for the Greek and Roman sect of those Great Elders.”

            “The chosen one?”

            “There’s a prophecy, you’ve heard the prophecy about King Arthur being the Once and Future king. Well this one tells more of the story for a much younger Victoria. ‘The empire of the sea is ravaged by the harbinger of war. The queen of light will wed the god of death and the princess of the earth will court the king of the stars to end years of suffering, but the love of the warrior of soul and the queen of light will end the peace, and a time of war and death will begin. When light and soul are unified once more with the earth and stars they will bring about a time of serenity for they will be the rulers of all nations and the Once and Future Kings and Queens,’” Joshua finished the prophecy with a note of heaviness in his voice.

            “What does that have to do with Gaea?”

            “This was the start of Victoria’s curse, to roam the world for millennia and dying in the most brutal of ways before she could ever reach her 18th birthday. For when she is reborn once more as Victoria, princess of the sea, and a protector of the world only then will she be able to achieve the gift of the gods,” Joshua paused for dramatic affect. “Immortality.”

            “Immortality?” Michael scoffed. “Who do these Pagans think they are? They cannot upset the balance of life and death.”

            “But the god Erlik has been for millennia. He reaps Victoria’s soul every time she dies, but he won’t this time. Death will do everything in its power to bring her down, but I’m afraid with Gaea possessing Victoria, she will reach her 18th birthday and achieve immortality leaving Gaea with an unstoppable vessel.”

            “Then we must stop her before that happens,” Michael mused.

            “Death would be the only option my liege.”

            “I understand that,” Michael roared causing Joshua to flinch. Michael’s eyes were wild with loathing.

            “But she is Ariel’s vessel as well would it not be wiser to stop the Earth Mother without harming the girl for Ariel’s sake?” Joshua hit a nerve, for just as quickly as the insanity had entered Michael’s eyes it left and was replaced with a grief that Joshua did not share.

            “No Victoria is no longer of use to us as a vessel if Ariel no longer exists as she once had,” Michael breathed. His shoulder slumped forward as he was wrought with grief for the loss of yet another one of his siblings. The first angels. Michael the First, Ariel the Lion, Raphael the Healer, and Lucifer the Morning star. All that remained now were Michael and Raphael with Lucifer and Ariel fallen to darkness. Michael turned his thoughts to the day when the first angels fell with Lucifer by their side. That was the day that Ariel and Michael had solidified their power as rulers of heaven. That was the day that they lied to all of their brethren.

            “Is Ariel truly gone?” Joshua was shocked at this revelation.

            “She was consumed by the darkness that plagued her soul,” Michael whispered faintly.

            “I’m sorry to hear that, Ariel was a good soldier.”

            “That she was.”

            “What do you propose we do about Gaea then,” Joshua asked quickly changing the subject.

            “We have to be able to stand our best chance. We are fewer now than we were a couple months ago and Johnathan Morgenstern has provided Gaea with a demonic army and an army of Endarkend warriors. I suppose we will need the aid of the humans. As much as I hate it they are our best chance at winning this war.” Michael managed to put enough compassion and pain in his voice to have Joshua not question his motives, but all Michael felt was hate for these creatures who were below him.

            He would find their weak points and expose them in the years after this war to bring about the Time of Revelation.


	14. CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Chapter for the heck of it.

CHRISTMAS 2006

            “C’mon Percy,” I yelled after my half-brother attempting to get my hat back from him as he ran to the opposite side of the street away from his mom’s apartment. I let out a deep breath producing a billowing cloud of white air.

            “Percy I want my hat back! My ears are freezing!” I crossed my arms in front of me as I gently placed one foot in front of another on the frozen sidewalk careful not to slip on ice hidden under the fresh layer of powdery snow that came in last night.

            “Come and get it then!” He taunted waving it back and forth.

            “Fine if that’s how you want to play!” A mischievous glint lit up his sea green eyes as the whistled through the empty street. I bolted across the street trying not fall and quickly tackled him to the ground before he could get a word out.

            “What was that for,” he wheezed attempting to get some air into his lungs. I laughed and fumbled around in the snow for my red beanie. Triumphantly I pulled it out from underneath Percy, where he’d dropped it as he fell, and stood up brushing to snow of my jeans.

            “You had my hat,” I teased, “and I wanted it back.”

            “I’m sure there could have been easier ways than breaking my ribs,” Percy grumbled.

            “Oh don’t be a baby.” I rolled my eyes and offered my hand to help him out of the snow bank. He reluctantly grabbed it, but with his other hand through massive snow ball at my face, sending a shower of it down my face and into my shirt.

            “Percy!” I shrieked. He ran from me again fearful of my retaliation. He did not know how good I was at a snowball fight, and was willing to play dirty. After all Poseidon is technically the god of water and well snow is just frozen water.

            “So that’s how you want to play Percy Jackson. I’ve got this in the bag.” I bent down and quickly compacted a snowball and threw it in Percy’s general direction going for the ‘let’s throw as many as humanly possible’ strategy.

            My fingers turned red from the cold as we volleyed one snowball after the other at each other from opposite sides of the street always giving a shout of laughter when we got hit in the face. I chucked one last snowball and nailed Percy directly in the nose. As the snow slid down his face his shocked expression sent me into a fit of laughter that hurt my ribs. His nose was bright red.

            “Do you give up now Rudolph?” I focused on the snow piled on the pavilion above his head as he yelled ‘No!’ at me. “Fine have it your way,” I laughed. I tossed my snow covered hair over my shoulder and sent the pile of snow tumbling down the weight causing Percy to collapse on the sidewalk.

            “I did not think that would work,” I whispered in amazement.

            “Whoa!” I spun around and came face to face with the son of the sun god.

            “Will!” I exclaimed and threw my arms around his neck.

            “Well Merry Christmas to you too, Vic.” Will hugged me back tightly, both arms wrapped firmly around my waist. He immediately warmed up my snow covered body and didn’t protest as a clung to him. He squeezed me tighter and I rested my head on his shoulder allowing his arms to envelop me. Our winter coats rustled together as we stood there in the cold; Will kept me warm and safe. His arms were somewhere I always felt like a belonged.

            “I missed you,” he whispered softly the air around me instantly smelling of peppermint.

            “I missed you, too.” I stepped out of his arms and missed the warmth and security that they had provided. “Did you just eat a candy cane?”

            “Yeah, why?” He asked quizzically.

            “I could smell it,” I laughed.

            “Is that a bad thing?”

            “Nope. You smell like Christmassy wonderfulness,” I giggled.

            “Christmassy wonderfulness?” Will raised his blonde eyebrows at me and chuckled. “Now there is something I thought would never come out of Victoria Carstairs’ mouth.

            “Well,” I shrugged, “people change during the holidays.”

            “I can see that,” he looked me up and down with his azure blue eyes. “You have snow on your face.” Will’s gloved hand gently caressed my face getting rid of any snow that had been there and sent the blood rushing to my cheeks. “You’re blushing.”

            “Am not,” I protested covering my cheeks with my frozen hands.

            “Sure you aren’t, Vic.” Will winked at me. My blush deepened even further and Will laughed walking to the other side of the street to give Percy a helping hand out of the snow. I let out a happy sigh and spun around in the snow before hunching my shoulders against the cold and head inside to the Jackson’s apartment.

            “How’d you manage to dump that much snow on me Victoria?” Percy asked in between his teeth chattering. Percy wrapped his arms around himself trying to get warm again. His black hair was now frozen to his forehead and Will kept throwing me glances filled with laughter and amusement at the state I’d put Percy in, and tried to keep from bursting with laughter.

            “Snow is water you idiot,” I laughed. The snow crunched under our three pair of boots as we marched back inside.

            “Why didn’t I think of that?” Percy mumbled angrily to himself.

            “Because I’m older and therefore more intelligent,” I stated, stomping off the compacted snow in the lobby before hitting the carpeted area.

            “Only by 9 months,” Percy argued.

            “Yes but those 9 months give her more experience in life, right Vic?” Will winked at me as he pulled off his hat revealing a layer of messed up blonde locks.

            “See Percy, Will knows what he’s talking about,” I breathed gesturing toward the blue eyed boy.

            “What does Will know?” A voice came from behind us.

            “Annabeth!” I exclaimed. “What are you doing here?” I asked as I rushed to give her a hug. “I thought you were going to be with your dad for Christmas.”

            “Not for a few more days,” she sighed. I released her from my hug. “Percy invited me because he knew how lonely it can get at camp after everyone has gone.”

            I nodded in agreement.

            “Yeah it turns into a ghost town,” Will agreed. “It’s a good thing you came here this is where all the party is going to be, with you, me, Vic, and Percy.”

            “Don’t forget Grover and Tyson,” I interjected. Will smiled.

            “Them too. We’re gonna have fun.”

            “I know,” Annabeth smiled. “Thanks, Percy for inviting me on such short notice.”

            Percy shrugged and nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “Hey, what are best friends for?”

            “Anyway,” I said sparing Percy any awkward encounters, “why don’t we head upstairs? I’m sure Sally and Paul are waiting to eat with us. Tyson and Grover… I’m not so sure about.” I linked my arm through Annabeth’s and pulled her to the elevator telling her about the unexpected party trick with the snow I’d done a few minutes before.

As Percy and I recounted the story of our snowball fight Will and my gaze kept meeting sending a surge of warmth throughout my whole body. I leaned against the elevator listening to Percy chatter over the sound of the Christmas elevator music playing. I threw my head back in laughter as he exaggerated my tackling him.

The elevator dinged and the four of us poured out of the hallway following Percy through the door of his apartment. We were greeted with the warm aroma of honey glazed pork and the sweet smell of homemade apple pie.

“Is the pie done Ms. Jackson?” I unwrapped my white scarf from around my neck and hung it and my coat on the coatrack by the door.

“Almost Victoria! Do you want to take it out of the over for me?”

“Sure thing!” I answered tossing my hoodie and hat at Will gesturing for him to hang them up.

“I’m not your butler!” Will protested.

“Nope you’re my friend and therefore you love me and do as I ask occasionally.” I looked over my shoulder a watched his azure blue eyes sparkle with laughter. “Right William,” I added sweetly and batted my eyelashes.

“How are you still standing?” Paul Blofis asked as he walked out of the kitchen after witnessing my attempt at getting Will to hang up my things. Paul continued to dry his hands on a towel. “A sweet voice like that and the batting of the eyelashes would normally do me and many others in.”

“She’s got me wrapped around her little finger and she knows it,” Will sighed hanging my second jacket on the rack.

“You are a sucker,” Percy laughed.

Annabeth hit him in the arm. “No he’s being gentlemanly Perseus.” Percy cringed at the use of his full name. Will looked down and smiled nervously twisting my hoodie in his hands. I suppressed a small smile at his nervousness. He was adorable when anyone ever brought up the way he treated me, almost as a boyfriend would treat a girlfriend, but that was his choice to make not mine. Unlike me he did not have the… privilege… of remembering all of our lives together and he had to fall back in love every single time. I wanted him to be happy and if his happiness didn’t involve me then so be it.

“I’m sure that’s what it is,” Paul laughed knowingly as he ushered them into the dining room as I head into the kitchen. I quickly headed to the drawer with the oven mitts and pulled out a pair just as the oven let out a resounding ‘ding’. Sally was bustling around the kitchen gathering plates and silverware for the eight of us. The mouth-watering smell apples and cinnamon hit me just as I opened the oven.

“Oh that smells so good,” I moaned. “I just want to eat it now.” I grabbed the edges of the pie tin and carefully set it on the counter to cool.

“Do you need help with anything, Sally?” Will popped his head into the kitchen.

“No dear,” Sally replied sweetly brushing her brown hair off of her forehead. “We were just heading out to join you.”

The mood was light and everything of monsters and prophecies was forgotten. Percy and Tyson had a ‘who could stuff the most ham in their mouth’ competition. Needless to say Tyson won. Our laughter and cheer caused the walls to shake and the room to become warm.

“It’s time for presents!” Sally announced as soon as the last of our plates were cleared and we’d all eaten our fill.

“Oh Sally you didn’t have too,” Victoria said.

“Of course I did,” Sally replied sweetly gathering boxes and bags from under the small tree in the living room. The tree sparkled green and red with glowing gold ornaments the star on the top of the tree was a beautiful glass one gilded with gold.

“Hey Vic I left some of the gifts in my car do you want to come help me?” Will asked. His cheeks were flushed either from the warmth of the room or he was blushing.

“Sure,” I smiled quickly uncrossing my legs and straightening my red sweater heading to the front door to grab my coats.

“Do you need anyone else?” Grover asked.

“No,” Will said hastily causing everyone to jump. I looked up at Will curiously. “It’s just small things Victoria and I should be able to handle them.”

“Oh okay,” Grover said sitting back down on the Jackson’s sofa.

“Oh don’t look so dejected Grover. Carrying in packages isn’t that fun,” I joked as I wrapped my scarf around my neck and secured my hat on my head to keep my ears from freezing. Grover’s face lit back up.

Will opened to door. “After you.”

“Awww thanks, Will.” He quickly closed the door behind him as we headed toward the elevator in silence.

“So,” I started trying to get rid of any awkwardness which in hindsight would have made everything more awkward. “You planning on seeing your mom during break?”

“Maybe I not really sure if she wants me around or not. She’s trying to adapt to her new husband and his kids, and you know she never liked having me around as a reminder of dad,” he whispered. I put my hand on his shoulder to comfort him making him look into my eyes.

“It’s not right for her to blame you for your father’s actions. If anything it’s her fault for getting involved with Apollo. I mean we all know that your dad is a major flirt.” Will smiled as I assumed a more playful tone.

“You would know.”

“Yes I would know. Freaking Apollo has attempted to flirt with me and Thalia before. As if he could have picked two less receptive women.”

            “You know I was kind of jealous when he did that,” he admitted.

            I raised my eyebrows at him and smiled knowingly. “Oh really, I had no idea,” I feigned innocence as the elevator doors opened and left Will in the dust as he stood there in shock. Of course I knew that he was jealous. I can read that boy like a book.

            The lobby doors opened greeting me with a gust of chilling winter air. The sky hard turned dark and for the first time ever I was able to see the stars above the Manhattan skyline. The snow was coming down even harder than earlier and our footprints from earlier were nothing but small indentations now. I stepped out into the snow just as Will ran up behind me.

            “Wait? You mean you knew?”

            I laughed and kept walking towards Will’s bright yellow beat up jalopy it was his gift to himself on his 17th birthday this year. “Of course I knew. I’ve known you for years and I know you.” The car’s lights flashed as Will unlocked it.

            “What else do you know then?” Will ran to get in front of me. He grabbed my shoulders to look in to my eyes. “What do you know?” He whispered earnestly his voice becoming deeper and huskier.

            I blinked in confusion at his change in attitude. My heart beat quicker at his close proximity and my eyes were drawn the lips that I’d kissed so many times. A kiss that he had yet to experience in this lifetime. He noticed the movement of my eyes and inhaled quickly; Will cleared his throat and took a step back. I instantly became colder and missed his presence in front of me. The ache inside of me was unbearable I missed having him loving me.

            “I have something for you?” Will sad turning his back on me to open his passenger side door. I cleared my head and focused on Will now and not the man he had been in the past. I smiled at him.

            “Really? What did you get me?” I came up behind him keeping to the light that surrounded the car. Will leaned into the car and pulled out a small gold bag with white tissue paper sprouting out of the top. Will handed it to me with a small smile as our hands brushed during the hand-off sending a rush of warmth up my arm.

            “Open it.”

            “Don’t you want me to open it when we get inside,” I questioned. I shivered at the cold.

            “I’d rather you open it out here, that’s why I brought you,” he admitted looking downward at the ground scuffing his shoes in the powdery snow. I was taken aback by his intensity.

            “Okay.” I pulled out the tissue paper and stuck in underneath my arm impressed by how much of it he’d managed to stuff in such a tiny bag. Once it was all gone my finger brushed to smooth velvet of a box. I took the box out of its bag and was amazed at the quality of the velvet.

            “Well don’t just stare at the box actually open it,” Will laughed. I eased the lid off the top the box revealing a miniature golden violin attached to a dainty gold chain beside the violin was a thin gold arrow acting as the violin’s bow.

            “Will! You didn’t?” I gasped as I marveled at the detail of the design. “It’s beautiful.” Will’s face lit up as he flashed a brilliant smile my way. My heart leapt in joy.

            “Do you like it?”

            “I love it,” I shouted, throwing my arms around his neck and holding on for dear life. Will laughed and spun me around causing euphoria to take over my whole body. The warmth and energy that surrounded Will and I was not one that is achieved through banter and jokes at a Christmas dinner but through years of love and dedication to one other. It’s achieved through being connected to one person more than any other for your entire life. As Will held me in the air my feet dangled and inch or two off the ground and the space between on was even less

            “Merry Christmas and Happy belated 16th birthday,” he whispered his eyes never leaving mine as the toes of my boots touched the snow covered ground once more. His smile would not leave his face and I fell in love with him even more. Every lifetime there was something new to be discovered about ourselves through each other and to me it was always how deeply I could love a person. So deeply, that he was a part of my soul as I was his. I could possibly only have two years left with this boy that I’ve known for thousands of ages or I could have an eternity, but at this moment it didn’t matter all I need was him, now.

            “Thank you Will,” I stood up on my tip toes and pressed a light kiss on the cheek just close enough to the lips to leave something to be imagined. My lips lingered on his cheek longer the necessary as the snow continued to come down around us. The wind began to pick up whipping my red hair around the both of us. “We should probably head in,” I shivered taking a step back and stomping my feet around trying to get warm once more.

            “Wait I can help you with your necklace if you want,” Will said.

            “That would be lovely.” I smiled and turned around removing the scarf from my neck. Goosebumps rose on my neck as the cold air came in contact with my unprotected skin. Will brushed my hair off of my neck leaving a trail of heat as he did. My body quivered under his touch as his fingers lightly touched my neck while he secured the clasp. The weight of the necklace was lightweight and would not hinder my movement at all and I think Will knew that. I turned around and was practically in his arms once more as he stared at me. His blue eyes flicked down to my lips and I was filled with a rush of excitement. Heat rushed to my cheeks as his right hand caressed my cheek I instantly leaned into it and let out a deep sigh. I was filled with such joy knowing that this could be the moment that Will was mine once more and not just a friend.

            Gazing up at him I allowed Will to take the first move as he leaned down and softly pressed his lips against mine. My body melted into his as I basically turned to putty the same way I did every time he had kissed me. Will was tender and sweet and his lips were soft and gentle against mine. There was nothing rushed or harsh all there was love and no ulterior motives. I pressed against him yearning for his warmth and to be as close as him as possible. Will’s hands gently cupped my face and neck while mine lay flat against his chest. His heart beat fast against my hand and kept in time with mine. There was only us Victoria and Will, a love that would last lifetimes. The snow whipped us but we kept each other warm never losing a beat as our lips connected and reconnected. I felt my heart soar above the clouds relieved that finally we could have all that we’d ever wanted.

            “Will,” I sighed against his lips. Will kept on kissing me on the cheek, the jaw, and any other skin, that was covered up, he could find. “We should head inside.” Will groaned against my neck. “As much as I would love to stay out here with you we have friends inside waiting for gifts.” Another groan. He let his blonde head rest on my shoulder as his arms slid around my waist ensnaring me in his embrace. I inhaled deeply breathing in a mixture of peppermint and a sun-kissed winter night.

            “But all I need is right here in my arms.”

            My cheeks flooded red and I smiled planting a small kiss on the top of his head. “I love you.”

            “Oh really? I had no idea,” he teased. Will’s laughter vibrated against my neck. I swatted the back of his playfully.

            “Oh alright, I love you too,” he laughed.

            “Now that wasn’t very heartfelt,” I scolded. Will stood up straight and placed his hands on my shoulders and gazed into my eyes as if trying to find the bottom of my soul.

            “Victoria Anastasia Carstairs,” he began softly, “I have loved you since the first day I met you. Yes even since we were ten years old I knew that there would never be anyone else for me besides you. You bring light to the darkest parts of my life and make me a better person. All of these years being around you had driven me insane because all I’ve ever wanted was this moment to happen. For me to be able to hold you in my arms and for you to be mine and for me to be yours. As I hope that you will be,” Will finished never taking his eyes off of mine and pressed a quick short kiss on my lips.

            “William Xavier Solace my love for you has been constant and unwavering. It has been the only thing that I have ever been able to count on.” I paused to correct myself. “You have been the one I am able to count on. All I’ve ever wanted was for you to choose me. I never wanted to force myself upon you and make you feel obligated to me.” Will looked at me in confusion. “But that’s beside the point. All that matters is now.”

            I sighed deeply and suddenly had a thought. “Wow. We said all of that I love you stuff really fast,” I said for his sake knowing that most “normal” teenagers would never say such things after their “first” kiss.

            Will nodded in agreement and shrugged. “I’ve known you my whole life.”

            “What’s that supposed to mean?” I laughed.

            “Well we are comfortable around each other and we know that saying ‘I love you’ is not detrimental to our relationship in anyway shape and form,” he said with his scholar voice.

            “That’s and interesting way to put it, William.”

            Will let out a deep hearty laugh. “What I meant was if we’ve known that we’ve loved each other for such a long time then there is no harm in saying it if it’s true.”

            “You’re right,” I laughed. “Who cares about normalcy? We’ve never had a normal life and don’t plan to start on it now!” I shouted into the sky.

            “Not ever!” Will whooped. Will wrapped his arm around my shoulder and kissed the top of my head. There was nothing more perfect than this Christmas and it was one that I would never forget. Someone like me has to hold on to all the happiness she can get because if you don’t then all there is is the bad. Will taught me that and it too was something that I would never forget, just as I would never forget him and the light he brings into my life.


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Marethyu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we get an inside look as some beings of death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this chapter. You guys get to learn a little bit more about where Victoria came from.

** Chapter Fourteen: Marethyu **

Marethyu was finding it hard to believe that all of this could have happened so fast. One moment Victoria was a bright and vibrant hero and the next she was just gone, now being twisted by the Earth itself. He’d known for a long time that this would happen, that she would be consumed, but it was one thing to know and another witness and ally become an enemy by no will of their own. He’d always known that Victoria’s path would end with darkness and suffering and he’d done his best for the past thousands of years to train her soul no matter what form it took, to fight off the impending doom that always shadowed her once bright future. The Lost Princess of Rome or respectfully Romeldale, Marethyu was painfully aware of the title that had sealed Victoria’s fate many millennia ago. Romeldale too had fallen into darkness, something else Marethyu had been powerless to stop. The fate of Romeldale is what led to this exact moment where Marethyu shed his traditional form that many fear to his original form of Josh Newmen from San Francisco, who now wandered the silent streets of Brooklyn. Nothing felt right anymore, the Earth trembled and laughed under his feet while twisting with rot and decay. How could everything have gone so wrong?

Josh remembered what Victoria had been like back in Romeldale, she and her family were a beacon of light in a time where the Elders and Gods’ greed had once again begun to corrupt the good that humans could create. The humans who had occupied Romeldale in Victoria’s lifetime had been very distant descendants of those who survived the fall of Danu Talis, the previous home of all life in the Earth Realm. Those who had survived, abandoned the Earth Realm and left it to the Elders, who also abandoned it, leaving it to grow into the big round blue and green planet it was today.

Romeldale had been a realm of its own, created by Josh’s sister and her close allies who sought to give the humans a new start away from the Elders and their superiority complex.

Josh laughed lightly as he thought back to the time long ago when he wasn’t yet aware of his vast knowledge and argued that Sophie would be changing history by creating a new world. That was the moment that Aether, this silver hook that acted as his hand showed him Romeldale’s future and Earth’s past being intertwined because that was how it always had been even if he hadn’t known it. Sophie had been terrified when she saw the distant glazed look in his eyes as Josh had lived all of history; everyone’s past, present, and future all at once in a brief passing moment. Josh remembered what he’d said as well as the distant stoniness of his own voice.

_“Romeldale must rise and Romeldale must falls._

_For only victory can emerge from such tragedy”_

His sister had looked so sad to see him change so much in a matter of seconds because Josh was no longer there, only Marethyu, Death remained as well as this vast knowledge of space and time. But Sophie took his words in stride.

_“All worlds rise and fall, all that matters is the impact they make and the legacy they leave behind, because it is the past that changes the future.”_

Marethyu couldn’t help but wonder if this would be one of those many times where the world would fall again, because no matter how many times he tried over many thousands of years he could not see past the rise of Gaea and the fall of Victoria, now he was merely stuck wandering aimlessly like any other creature. All futures collided at this one moment Marethyu was walking into.

A lone smartly dressed figure stood lazily with his hands in his pockets outside of the abandoned Java Jones. Everything after the dark figure was uncharted territory, and the figure that stood with his back toward Marethyu was a being he hadn’t seen personally since the figure had caused the fall of Romeldale and Victoria and William’s cursed painful cursed existence.

“Marethyu,” the man practically purred upon Marethyu’s arrival.

“Erlik,” Marethyu greeted coolly. The two dark figures who normally would have seen out of place in a city such as New York looked right at home in the streets that were now shadowed by the weight of the worlds twisted core. The God of Death turned to face Marethyu, his normally carefree and sadistic face now carried a look of worry. The god’s dark eyebrows were furrowed over his bloodshot black eyes while his mouth was set in a grim frown.

“I presume you already know why I’m here,” Erlik reckoned.

“Actually no,” Marethyu admitted. “For the first time in years I do not know what will happen next.” It felt odd confessing weakness to a being that started the Black Plague just for laughs, but there was no way out of it, either he knew what Erlik wanted or he didn’t.

“Well that’s certainly shocking,” Erlik confessed, a small smile spreading across that god’s face. “But that’s beside the point I want to know what we are going to do about my sweet Princess Victoria being swept away by a harbinger evil and lust as well as a Psychotic Earth Goddess.”

Sounds like he’s describing himself, Marethyu thought.

“Why should you care? Don’t you live to see her brutalized?”

“Because she’s my wife and no one gets to brutalize her soul besides me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Great closing line huh? Hahaha I know you have got to be confused but all i can say is that you should be.


	16. Chapter Fifteen: William

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Will and Victoria are written in first person
> 
> YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Hey guys! I'm sorta back-ish. I'm not sure. College is insane and life is crazy, but I have a chapter for you!!!! It's just kinda been sitting around for a while so I though that I would upload it. I hope you enjoy!

I knew no one here, none of these people were my friends. They were just strangers that Victoria had never told me about, and I didn’t know why. I always knew that she had secrets but I never expected her to be living double or even triple lives.

After Victoria had brought our minds together and we all saw what Gaea was turning her into, everything just seemed overwhelming, and I felt powerless. I was incapable to help her and heal her when she needed me the most. The Shadowhunters were mainly in shock of what they’d seen happen to their childhood friend or more practically their sister. The one with the black hair, Isabelle, seemed to be the most torn up about it, but she didn’t cry. All she said was, “Please not again, not like Max.”

Max.

Another Shadowhunter had whispered that name before in sorrow as I held her on the beach last summer. She’d been unwilling to share who Max was or what had happened to him, but now it seemed clear. He’d died and Victoria and Isabelle blamed themselves. And I blamed myself for what happened to Victoria, because that’s what you do when a loved one is hurt: you blame yourself. Even if it’s not something that you can control you feel guilty.

I feel guilty.

Victoria had been tortured for weeks on end with whips, poisoned blades, and an Infernal Cup. I couldn’t protect her. Not that she often needed protecting, in all honesty she could kick my ass in any form of combat, and she was the one that did the protecting by always taking out that one enemy you didn’t see behind you. But the one time that she needed protecting was the one time that I wasn’t there.

I sighed in frustration as I ran my hands across my scalp attempting to ease the pressure that had taken up residence there for the past few days. All of this fighting seemed to be pointless, there always seemed to be a newer and bigger bad guy out there, and this time we all just happened to get settled with the worst of the worst. People… things that had no remorse. That Sebastian guy just radiated crazy, and I knew that when I had the chance I would kill him for what he did to Victoria and to everyone else. The Shadowhunters still had yet to give me the full story on this guy they obviously all knew, and the Flamels were just as secretive with their information. I really hoped that there wasn’t another enemy from their life that teamed up with Gaea. Gods know that we already had a tough enough battle ahead of us without more powerful douchebags joining her.

“Are you leaving?” A voice came from the doorway. I looked up from my small backpack now filled to the brim with armor and t-shirts. I nodded and stood up from the bed slinging the backpack and, striding across the room to meet Magnus at the door.

“There isn’t anything for me here, and there is this thing called a war that’s going on.” A sad smirk spread across my face as I knew that it was something Victoria would have said.

“Yeah, I noticed.” Magnus’ cat eyes flicked to the window on the other side of the room as if trying to assess the war from just that tiny patch of cool sunlight.

“It’s getting bad out there isn’t’ it?” I asked quietly thinking about my mom and her family. We still had no idea how anywhere else was affected after Gaea rose.

“Bad enough for the Council to summon all Shadowhunters back to Idris,” Magnus replied sadly as he ran his palm through thick black hair. I picked up that it was a nervous habit of his, and decided not to push on the subject of Idris.

“Where will you go, Will?”

“Back to Camp Halfblood, I kinda left in the middle of a Civil War.”

Magnus raised his eyebrows in surprise. “You should probably be getting back then.” I nodded suddenly put on edge by the warlock’s persistent stare. He knew something that I didn’t and he wasn’t going to share.

“Well okay then. I should be going it’s going to be a long walk back to camp with all the buses down.”

“What!” Magnus exclaimed. “First, it not safe outside, especially for the known consort of Victoria Carstairs, and Second, that’s just downright insane!” Magnus’ eyes sparked with life once more as I took a step away from the warlock who had straightened himself to full height making me slightly uncomfortable with his sheer size.

“Well I don’t have any other way to get back home. Annabeth wrecked my chariot a few months back and we haven’t had any time to fix it up,” I growled with pent up frustration. I needed to get back to camp, for all I knew the fight could already be over and we lost. New York City was lost, everything else could be too.

“Victoria would never forgive me if I let you wander around a city that’s now overrun with demons and monsters, and I wouldn’t forgive myself. The world is going to need you now more than ever William,” Magnus confessed. The warlock’s eyes became weary as all youth was wiped from his gaze, losing the brightness and mischief that had lit them up in the brief time that I’d known him. Magnus was haunted by a secret knowledge that he would not or could not share with me, but either way I probably wouldn’t believe him. Who could I help? Especially since I wasn’t even able to help my own girlfriend or fight for my camp and my heritage.

“The world doesn’t need me. I’m one out of… who knows how many children of Apollo. There is nothing special about me. I’m just another soldier, a chess piece in this world’s never ending war,” I countered bitterly. What could I do that would change the course of this war? During the battle of New York I only gained leadership through the deaths of my brothers and had to steal to save the injured. No I wasn’t special. I could fight and make my way across a battlefield, but I couldn’t change it.

_Maybe not this time,_ a small part of me argued. _If you knew who you truly were then you could do more than change the course of this war._

“That absurd. I know who I am,” I mumbled, forgetting Magnus at the moment.

_No you don’t there is something missing isn’t there? Something that you can almost grasp but it always seems to slip away._

“That perfectly normal it happens to a lot of people.”

_Not for their whole life,_ I thought bitterly.

“Victoria did the same thing you know?” Magnus’ amused voice brought me out of my thoughts and back to the current situation.

“Did what?”

“Talked to herself. There was always just too much going on inside her brain for her to get a wrap on internally. It was almost as if there was always too much information to process.” Magnus smiled sadly once more before turning away from me.

“What do you mean too much information?” I asked.

Magnus hesitated before smiling. “It doesn’t matter. It’s nothing that can be helped now.”

I narrowed by eyes at the warlock before nodding slowly. “Very well.” He was hiding something, but everyone was. This was nothing new. I walked past Magnus intent on finding the Shadowhunters before I left.

Magnus walked by my side in silence as we travelled through the dark Institute to the once beautiful doors of the Institute that now stood in shambles, where the Shadowhunters resided as they prepared for their transport to their homeland of Idris. From the way they grimly gathered their weapons and belongings over the past few hours I knew that their homeland did not hold good memories for any of them.

On the stone steps sat various black duffel bags holding the Shadowhunters lives, they too were clad in black and sat on the steps next to their bags. All four of them had newly placed black runes decorating their skin, though the strength they should have provided was not evident in the Shadowhunters expression.

Yesterday, Isabelle and Alec had finally been able to get in contact with their mother; all of their previous fire messages had been unable to reach her. In each letter they explained what had happened to Victoria, and they always updated the situation in Brooklyn as well. While no electronics were working to provide news, we could all see the fires that burned from Manhattan; the city was in sheer and utter chaos. While the world had relatively maintained a fearful calm after the first week Gaea rose, now it was in pandemonium. From the Institute, I could see the gathering of dark storm clouds around the Empire State Building, the situation on Olympus was not any better, so it would appear.

Upon receiving the letter from her children and ward, Maryse had sent back a hasty reply to let them know that she was alright, but that they all needed to come to Idris within the fourty-eight hour period. The Clave would be closing the border by then, and were still in a heated debate over whether or not to allow the Downworlders refuge in Idris as well. Apparently, Maryse had gotten some sort of special permission because Isabelle’s boyfriend Simon, and his two friends Jordan and Maia, who were a vampire and two werewolves were going with the Shadowhunters to Idris.

What should have seemed strange and new to me, appeared nothing short of familiar. I couldn’t tell if it was because I’d become used to the feeling of being at war over the past few months: or it was something else. For the past month, a deep ache has weighed me down as the camp prepared for a full scale attack. I’d just become so tired of war, and felt as if I’d lived too many wars and battles. My entire soul seemed to be racked with feelings of dread over one more battle. That wasn’t it though. As we drew closer to the end of the year and closer to Gaea’s rise my mind was overwhelmed with images and faces I couldn’t place. It was time to face the music. The war had only just begun. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Abrupt ending I know. Well stay tuned for more. All of our characters are certainly in a pickle and aren't really sure what's going on. All I can say is things don't get better from here. Let me know if you like this story!. Any comments are appreciated and adored. Love you All!


	17. Chapter Sixteen: Victoria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we see Victoria again, and the Turkish god of death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyyyyyyy another chapter. Look at me go. This is progress. Sorry that it's short.

I was surrounded by evil. Strapped to a monster that controlled my body and would soon devour my soul, I was all but gone and could feel myself fade into the background of my own mind. It would be as easy as falling asleep. I was nothing. Nothing but thoughts and memories now. There was no sanctuary for me to hide in and nowhere for me to run, for she was everywhere. Gaea was everywhere. She was everywhere and there was no place to hide. I had nowhere to go now. The only escape I had were my memories, but I could not bring myself to look upon them as I saw what Gaea was to bring into the world.

            There were hundreds of thousands of monsters at her command along with many giants and scores of demons. Among the demons were what I could presume were fallen angels as well as Shadowhunters. Gaea and Sebastian spoke of how they’d been changed with the Infernal Cup during Sebastian’s attacks on many of the Institutes while the world was weak. The Endarkened. They would bring ruin and death to the world, and there was no single force that would be able to stop them.

Those that would be allies had become spread thin across the world as the Nephilim took refuge in Idris and the demigods prepared for Civil War. No one religion or belief system would be able to bring this army to their knees; if there was no unification of those charged with the protection of this world then the world would be lost.

            But I knew those who swore to protect this world, their egos were too big to even consider an alliance with those that they had not spoken to in millennia. But they had to fight together, they just had to. But who would bring them together?

            All singular thoughts were washed away as a wave of darkness over took me, but fading just as quickly as it had come. I felt a little bit of relief, but that wave was only one of many that would soon be heading my way. _Think Victoria. Think. I mean you’ve been in worse situations than this… that is such I lie._ I mentally rolled my eyes at myself. There was nothing worse than being trapped in my own mind being unable to fight, and just waiting for the darkness to overwhelm me until I was completely gone. However, Victoria Carstairs does not wallow in self-pity unless absolutely necessary, this was not one of these moments.

            “I need a clear head,” I mumbled into the dark void of my mind. “And you know that might be a bit easier if THERE WASN’T A PSCHOTIC GODESS TAKING OVER MY BODY!” If I could I would totally hit my head against a wall right now. Slowly I slid down the wall of my mental cell and put my head in my hands. This was impossible.

            _Is it really impossible?_ A thick accented male voice penetrated what little there was left of my sanity. I jerked my head up from my knees a cold sweat breaking out along my spine. The air turned dry reminiscent of my time spent in the Middle East. There was only one being that would be able to surpass all the blocks in my mind, and to interfere with Gaea’s progress. Someone who was always lurking and watching. Someone who was always apart of me.

            “Erlik?” I questioned. A shadow removed itself from the dark walls surrounding me and began to take the shape of a man. The inky black mass contorted and twisted upon itself layering the darkness to become thicker until it solidified. The shadow approached me slowly every moment its details becoming clearer and less menacing, gray cloudy feet formed into black Italian leather dress shoes. Slowly I let my eyes travel up from the expensive shoes and dark-wash jeans past the light gray pullover and white collared shirt to the dark soulless eyes of the Turkish god of death.

            _Shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we go. There are none of the characters we know and love in this chapter, but don't worry they are coming back soon. So, just what does Erlik want? And what exactly is his relationship to Victoria? Stay tuned to find out!


	18. Chapter Seventeen: Jace Lightwood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our characters say goodbye to each other and go their separate ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on a roll with all of these chapters. I hope that you guys are all enjoying them.

Jace sat on the steps of the institute waiting for Magnus to join the rest of them so they could leave. He couldn’t believe the Clave was abandoning the world and leaving the Mundanes and Downworlders to their own devices. He hoped that the Nephilim would be able to fight back against the evil that was taking ahold of the world. It was frustrating being helpless. Sebastian just waltzed in and took Victoria in almost the exact same way that Sebastian had seized control of him. It was unbelievable that in a short amount of time Sebastian could cause more damage than Valentine could have imagined or even hoped. Sebastian had brought the world to its knees and the world was ready to surrender. Jace wouldn’t let that happen.

            He took a deep breath a braced himself against the cool summer air; goosebumps rose on his arms. The streets of Brooklyn were empty, abandoned, and cold. Summer seemed so far away even though it was the later days of August.

            “Is Magnus almost ready,” Jace asked to no one in particular as he rose from the steps and shouldered his bag.

            Clary bounced on her toes nervously behind him as she surveyed the streets for her mother, Luke, Simon, Maia, and Jordan. Jace could tell she was anxious to be on her way. Clary was strong, but the presence of Sebastian was enough to put her over the edge. Jace calmly took her hand and kissed the top of her head, relishing in the comfort he got from her presence.

            “Don’t worry I’m sure they’ll be here soon,” he spoke quietly.

            “I know,” she said and stepped into Jace’s arms. “I’m just worried. It shouldn’t take that long to get here.” Clary nervously twisted a red curl around her pointer finger, and chewed on her lip. The skin of her red lips was rough and angry from her nervous habit.

            “I’m worried too, but I’m sure they’re fine. They’re a tough group. We just have to have a little faith.” Jace looked down at her and gave her a bright smile hoping to bring some joy back into her bright green eyes.

            Clary nodded and wrapped her arms around Jace’s torso and gave him a squeeze. She released him just as Magnus exited the Institute with Will in tow. She hadn’t talked to him much in the last weeks, but it seemed that he preferred to keep his distance.

            “Is everyone ready?” Magnus asked as he walked down the steps.

            “Simon and the others aren’t here yet,” Jace said.

            “We can only wait for so long Jace,” Alec protested. “The Clave will be closing the borders of Idris anytime now.”

            “We can wait a little longer,” Jace replied. “They would wait for us.”

            “Alright but only for a few more minutes. We don’t know what kind of monsters are lurking out here,” Alec said.

            Jace nodded.

            “Alright then,” Magnus began. He clapped his hands together and turned to Will. “I suppose I can send you on your way then back to Camp Halfblood. It seems only fair.” Magnus stuck his hand out to Will who grasped if firmly and shook. “I’m fairly certain we will be seeing each other again. This war is just beginning. It’s been a pleasure to meet you.”

            “And you.”

            “Will you be safe wherever you’re going?” Isabelle asked.

            Will smiled and shook his head. “Most likely not. There is an army of angry Romans on our doorstep, but I don’t know how they’ve been affected by what’s going on. I’m hoping that maybe we can reach a truce. That would be the best for everyone.” The demigod shrugged and tried to place a sunny expression on his face. “I’m hoping for the best.” He paused trying to think of what to say next to these strangers. Will had spent a few weeks with them, but he still knew next to nothing about them. But they cared about Victoria and would protect the world at all costs, that was evident and Will trusted then. They were soldiers. “If you need anything or hear anything about Victoria please contact me. I’m going to tell Chiron what happened, and see if he has any further details.”

            “Sounds like a plan,” Jace replied. “And you’ll contact us?”

            “Absolutely.”

            “Alright, say your goodbyes quickly. I’m not sure how long I will be able to keep the portal open.”

            The Shadowhunters said farewell to Will and wished him safe travels and good luck. They didn’t know if they would ever see him again. If there was a war coming it was unclear how much longer any of them would be alive.

            After a brief coaching session from Magnus about how to navigate a Portal Will stepped foot through the Five-Dimensional Doorway and disappeared into nothingness. The Nephilim had no way of knowing whether or not he made it to his destination safely, and had no time to question it before hearing a petrified Simon shout “RUN!” from behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we go. A bit of a cliffhanger, and I do apologize I just have a paper to write and had to cut this short. But do Simon, Jocelyn, Luke, Maia, and Jordan make it to the Portal with the others? What are they running from? I guess you'll just have to stay tuned. :) Anyways I'm hoping that you guys are enjoying this story. Please let me know. Have a lovely day!


	19. Chapter Eighteen: Magnus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our characters flee to Idris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this instead of writing an essay. Oops. Enjoy.

“RUN!” Simon shouted as he bolted down the pavement. Jocelyn and Luke were on his heels with Jordan helping a limping Maia not far behind them. They were at the end of the street, three-blocks away.

Magnus had no idea what they were running from until a half-woman half-serpent creature came barreling after them. Lamia. Magnus had never encountered her before. She was at least two heads taller than Alec with a tail trailing behind her. Her scaly green tail was a thick as a tree trunk and struck anything close to her, rendering any wall or car into pieces. Her eyes glowed green through serpentine slits, and here nails were hardened into claws.

“What the hell is that?” Jace shouted.

“Never mind that! Get through the Portal! NOW!” Magnus exclaimed. He beckoned the others towards the Portal, but they had already drawn weapons to fight Lamia. “NO! DON’T ENGAGE!”

“We don’t have a choice! We have to hold her off so the others can get through! If we don’t she’ll keep coming!” Alec said.

“And if you do, you will all die. Get through the Portal now! I will hold her off.”

Alec’s blue eyes sparked with defiance as he drew his bow and arrow. “They are our friends.”

He fired an arrow to Lamia’s heart. It struck true. She screamed in anger and ripped it from her chest. It had hit her, but did little damage. The Nephilim weapons were no match for monsters.

“You don’t have the weapons to fight her. Get out of here.” Fear began to take ahold of Magnus as Lamia began to gain on them. She was furiously chanting spells in Latin as she sought to decimate the Nephilim. She was almost on Maia and Jordan, who were still two-blocks away.

Magnus could tell that the spell she was about to cast would be a strong one. The air around the Institute filled with a metallic tang and sparked with electricity. The hair on his arms stood on edge as he readied himself to counteract Lamia’s curse. The serpentine woman’s hair flowed behind her and her eyes beamed. Alec fired another shot only to have it bounce off her scales. They needed celestial bronze or Imperial gold to fight her off.

Maia and Jordan limped furiously trying to get away from their enemy, but she was faster than them. A length of two cars separated Lamia from her prey as they struggled forward. Lightning began to spark off Lamia’s body as her spell was reaching completion. Magnus summoned his power to send a wave of fire at her in hopes of slowing her down. If he could slow her down then Maia and Jordan could get away.

Simon was the first one to reach Magnus with Clary and Jace on his heels and Jocelyn and Luke behind them. Jocelyn and Luke breathed raggedly. Their clothes were torn in several places. Newly formed bruises began to show on their bodies. They had a rough fight on their way to the Institute.

“Portal to Idris, now.” Magnus ordered. “None of you will be any help here.”

“What about the others?” Jocelyn breathed. Her green eyes filled with motherly concern.

“I’ll take care of them. Just get out of here before the border and Portal closes.”

Jocelyn nodded reluctantly and beckoned for Clary and Jace to go first. The couple stepped into the Portal and promptly disappeared. Magnus hope that they would make it to Idris safely. Jocelyn went next and was followed by Luke.

“Isabelle! We have to go!” Simon shouted.

Isabelle had been guarding the rear and ran to Simon. They both leapt through the Portal and travelled to Idris.

Magnus looked behind him.

Alec was still firing arrows at Lamia defiantly even as her spell was completed. Lightning struck all around them burning cars and destroying buildings. It crept in towards to two werewolves who were not nearly close enough to reach the Portal in time. Lamia would cut them off before they did. Her long tail had already begun to slither around them in an attempt to cage them.

“GO! Get out of here!” Jordan shouted. “TAKE THE PORTAL!” Only half a block separated them from the Portal. They continued to run as fast as they could.

Magnus could not leave them to die. He attempted to banish the lightning and tried to keep it away from Alec, Maia, and Jordan. The Lightning dissipated and was replaced with massive hail. Lamia was able to warp the energy around her. Hail bombarded the street and left potholes in the pavement. Magnus kept them at bay with a flick of his wrist and took a step toward the Portal ready to pull Alec in with him if necessary.

 The warlock’s ability to render her spells useless outraged Lamia, and she screamed in anger. The scream that left her throat was unhuman and echoed off the buildings around them. It was piercing.  Lamia quickly changed her tactic and whipped her tail at the fleeing werewolf couple. Magnus could only watch in horror.

Her strong serpent tail struck Maia and Jordan’s bodies with resounding thud. The force behind her tail immediately broke their shins. Lamia didn’t stop there. Her tail kept coming and lifted the two off the ground and flung them into the nearest building. Flesh connected with stone with a wet slap. Maia’s body slid to the ground in broken heap while Jordan was impaled on broken glass.

Lamia roared in triumph. She turned toward Magnus and smiled baring her sharp yellow crocodile teeth. She made no movement toward Magnus or Alec, and instead began to speak.

“It’s a shame that the demigod boy couldn’t be here. We’ve been on his scent for days now. I would have enjoyed killing him.” Lamia paused and gestured to Maia and Jordan. “Think of these two as a warning, and a mere fraction of the power than we hold.” Lamia laughed once more. The air shimmered around Lamia and collapsed around her. It began to cover her serpentine body and wrap around her. “Gaea sends her regards,” Lamia said before she vanished into the Mist.

Alec dropped his bow and arrow and ran to Maia. He hoped to find some sign of life. Magnus followed slowly taking in the sight before him. Maia’s body was bent in impossible angles. Her legs were facing opposite ways with her knees bent in ninety degree angles while her torso was hunched forward. Her golden-brown curls hid her face from him, but even from far away he could see the scarlet hue that seeped through her curls. Staining the back of her head burgundy.

Jordan hung limply on the wall. His hazel-green eyes were wide, but no life was in them. Blood blossomed around his stomach and dripped from his mouth. There was nothing Magnus could do for him. Jordan Kyle had died the moment he struck the building.

Alec lifted Maia’s head and felt for a pulse. Instead he was met with the limpness of a broken neck and grief. Magnus placed a hand on Alec’s shoulder. Alec and Magnus did not cry. Death seemed to surround them constantly, and tears would not bring their friends back.

“We need to go,” Alec said softly. “We should bring their bodies.”

Magnus nodded slowly. “I’ll get Jordan down. Will you grab Maia?”

“Yeah,” Alec replied.

Magnus summoned Jordan’s body to him and brought in carefully down into his arms. Alec lifted Maia’s body up and she fell into his arms like a ragdoll. Blood decorated Magnus and Alec’s arms as they walked to the Portal bearing their fallen friends for all to see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.


	20. Chapter Nineteen: William

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Will returns to Camp Half-Blood and finds it changed.

Will emerged from the Portal and was shocked by the bright sunlight that hit his eyes. The weather at Camp Halfblood seemed untouched by the darkness that lurked just outside of the Camp’s magical barriers. However, inside of the camp seemed deadly still. Sharp cries echoed from the forest where monsters lurked. Normally, they would be masqueraded by the sound of Camp activities, but there were no active forges and no sound of swords clattering or laughter. It was silent.

            A chill ran up Will’s spine as a thick breeze struck him in the face. His stomach flipped over as the wave of heat hit him again. It seemed to scald his face as the image of Camp melted away in front of him as was replaced with the burning remnants of the Big House and the Cabins. Smoke billowed from the Apollo Cabin taking with it the home he loved.

            “You failed son of Apollo,” said a low mocking voice. “You were born to save the world and you watched helplessly as it burned. It’s a pity that love ruined all the potential you had. You could have been a great leader. I pity you William. I really do. I will tell Victoria you said hello.”

            “Will!”

            “What?” Will whipped his head around looking for the burnt remnants of Camp Halfblood. What was once silent and smoking now bustled with life and battle preparations.

Kayla, his half-sister, looked at him warily as she took in his stunned appearance. “You appeared out of nowhere and just stared off in space for twenty minutes and you ask me ‘what’?” she accused.

“What?”

Kayla sighed. “You’ve been gone for three weeks.”

“I know,” Will said. “All transportation systems were down and it wasn’t exactly safe to leave the indoors. The city is a mess, Kayla.” Will shook his head.

“We tried reaching you but zilch. Our iris messages wouldn’t get through. My texts didn’t either,” she said. Kayla’s eyes narrowed as she searched his face. “Hey, are you okay? You look like hell.”

Will ran his hand over his face, and tried to rub the images of Camp Halfblood away but they were seared into his mind. As for that voice, it knew something about him and it made him uneasy. A knot took form in the pit of his stomach as he tried to remember where he had heard that voice before, but he couldn’t place it. He knew that it wasn’t Gaea, but it didn’t make sense that it would be anyone else.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I just saw something. It wasn’t enjoyable.”

Kayla’s expression turned grim. She turned to look at where Will had been staring. Kids ran around, and while they were preparing their battlements for an attack by the Romans they still appeared happy. The sound of laughter could be heard over the loud clanging from the forge where armor was being refitted and swords were being made. Even that was normal for Camp Halfblood though.

“You had a vision didn’t you?” Kayla asked.

Will nodded.

Kayla closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “A lot of kids have been having waking nightmares recently or visions, whatever, but they are dark. It’s like there is a dark energy trying to work its way into the Camp. At least that’s what the Demeter Cabin said. The forest has become more hostile, and people can’t sleep. We’ve made it a habit to sit around the hearth all night and just be around each other. It feels safer than trying to fall asleep in the dark. The older kids watch over the younger ones so that they can get some sleep. Austin woke up screaming the other night. He said something happened to his mom, but we have no way of finding out.” Her voice shook and she grabbed the small dagger on her hip to help keep her grounded.

“Gaea sure gets a kick out making our lives awful.”

Kayla snorted. “It’s good to have you back, Will.”

Will smirked. “It’s good to be back, Kayla.”

            “We’ve been preparing for the battle with the Romans, but so far there have been no signs of fighting. I think that they’re staying somewhere in the forest, but there has been so much monster activity that I don’t know how they could be in there without getting slaughtered.” Kayla shrugged and started marching towards this Big House; her quiver of arrows bounced on her back.

Will quickly followed his younger sister, and hoped that he could speak with Chiron soon. He was glad that not much had changed while he was gone and supposed the Golden Fleece could be thanked for that. It was keeping most of the darkness out of the Camp. However, the dreams Kayla was talking about still bothered him as well as the vision that he was met with. With Apollo and the gods dealing with their conflicting personalities the Apollo Cabin had been cut off from any sort of vision their father might send them. Now it appeared like something darker was eating away at everyone’s soul. The oldest kids seemed to have suffered the worst though. Looking after their younger siblings had taken its toll. Dark circles decorated their eyes, and they moved sluggishly, still trying to fight off the nightmares that plagued their sleep. The younger kids’ bubbliness had died down, and while they still laughed it had lost its brightness. But they were alive, and safe; that is what mattered the most.

            Kayla left Will on the porch of the Big House, and wandered back to the Camp’s infirmary. There were no injured in the infirmary, but the children of Apollo were taking all the precautions needed in case war came to their doorstep. Will opened the creaky screen door and stepped into the living room. He was met with familiar sights, and a sense of comfort filled him. He was finally home.

            “Hello?” Will asked.

            “Will is that you?” Chiron came rolling around the corner in his magical wheelchair. The old centaur looked tired. A frail looking Dionysus followed him.

            Dionysus’ return to the Camp surprised Will. He had no idea that the gods had been returning to their homes. The head of the camp had lost his jovial spirit and the normal ruddiness in his cheeks had turned to ash. The form he had taken was slimmer, and looked less like someone who constantly had a bottle in their hand.

            “You’ve finally returned,” Dionysus said.

            Will nodded. “It was risky leaving the city, but Magnus was able to Portal me here without too much hassle.” Will shrugged off his backpack and placed it on the ground. “I didn’t know that the gods had finally been released from Olympus, Mr. D. It’s nice to have you back.”

            “We are in a time of extreme emergency. Even Zeus can see that. We can’t afford not to be down here,” Mr D pointed out.

            “I agree, but Zeus has never been reasonable in the past. I didn’t expect him to start now,” Will said.

            Chiron cleared his throat. “Has there been any word on Victoria?”

            “No.” Will looked down at his feet. “There wasn’t anything we could do. That man just came in and took her, and she was gone. Well, you saw what happened to her afterwards. I still don’t understand.”

            “It seems like Gaea is using Victoria as a vessel. Which spells multiple problems for everyone else,” Chiron added.

            “Like I said. I don’t understand.”

            “And you won’t not for a while, but one day I promise you that you will.”

            “I’ve been hearing that for too long,” Will said bitterly. “I would like to know now. If Gaea is so dangerous in Victoria’s body then everyone deserves to know the threat that we are facing, and we shouldn’t be fighting the Romans. Not to mention the fact that Gaea apparently has an army of demons at her disposal now. We need all the help we can get.”

            Chiron and Mr. D shared a look; concern was written over their faces.

            “Do the campers know?” Will asked. “Do they know about Gaea and Victoria?”

            Guilt filled Chiron’s face and he looked to the floor.

            “Do they know?” He asked again.

            “No,” Mr. D said.

            “Why not? They deserve to know?” Will’s blue eyes blazed, and he crossed his arms. He set his mouth in a firm line. “You have them preparing for a meaningless battle when there is a real enemy eating away at the world.” His voice lost its usual warmth and dropped low.

            “Will,” Chiron shook his head, “even if the Romans joined our cause, and we had the might of all of the Olympians we wouldn’t stand a chance.”

            “So, you’re giving up? That’s not like you, Chiron.”

            “I’m just trying to keep all of the Campers safe,” the centaur sighed.

            “But their safety means nothing if there is no outside world,” Will protested.

            “And I understand that, but for now there is nothing we can do – “

            “You need to tell them, Chiron. They deserve to make that decision on their own,” Will interjected and picked up his bag. “We’ll call a meeting of the Cabin leaders and tell them what’s going on. I’m sure they will be sick of being lied to just like me.” Will spun on his heel, and threw open the screen door let it slam closed behind him.

            Will was not an angry person, but there were so many things that he did not know and no one was being honest with him. He had no way of finding answers on his own, and he was tired of walking into situations blindly.

            The son of Apollo stormed down the hill to his cabin and unaware of everyone who greeted him. He was determined to get answers, and would get them it whatever way necessary. There was no telling what Will would find out, but he was ready to know.

           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder what Will is going to find out? At this point I would like to apologize for this will being different than Canon Will. When I initially started writing this back in the day Will Solace was a minor character who had only been mentioned twice. After Blood of Olympus and Hidden Oracle came out I considered changing his name, but ended up sticking with it because I loved the character that I had built. So I would like to apologize if this change has offended anyone.
> 
> On another note. I keep writing more instead of preparing for finals. lol. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	21. Chapter Twenty: Victoria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victoria faces the demons of her past, and must find a way to protect the people she loves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm finally getting you another chapter. I just moved back home after I finished my first year of college so things have been a little hectic. Thanks for holding in there.

_Shit._

            “Now is that how you treat your husband after many millennia, princess?” Erlik grinned like a feral cat, and crossed his arms over his chest.

            I was very aware of how the god of death towered over me even as I stood up on shaky limbs. I glowered at him and straightened my spine; I would not allow myself to show weakness in the presence of this monster.

            _Husband. As if?_ I rolled my eyes.

            “You do realize that I can hear you?” Erlik said in annoyance. “Your thoughts aren’t protected anymore.”

            “Obviously, if the likes of you and Gaea can get through,” I said through gritted teeth. “How did you even manage to get past Gaea?”

            Erlik shrugged. “She isn’t looking for anyone to be getting in. Not to mention there are back doors into you mind that I created a long time ago. Apparently, she isn’t aware of them just like you weren’t.”

            “Back doors?”

            “ _Evet_.” _Yes._

            “You’re disgusting,” I spat.

            Erlik merely smirked. “It was always so much fun using those doors in your most private of moments. Wreaking havoc, creating fear, disturbing your mind. It has truly been my only source of entertainment for a while.”

            “I doubt that. I haven’t felt your presence in decades.”

            “Just because you didn’t feel me doesn’t mean I wasn’t there.” The god winked at me. “Most of the time you were… well occupied. Oh, to see my wife with another man. How it pains me to see her succumb to the influence of a palace guard, a mere mortal.” Erlik feigned distress and sobbed. “Oh the betrayal. How can I ever go on?”

            My hands curled into fists as my frustration began to boil to the surface. “Are you saying that you were there – “

            “For every private moment you and Xavier… pardon me, William shared? Why yes, yes, I was. And might I say your sighs and blushes are things that I’m sure to never forget. What about that time under the stars in Italy. I believe that was in the mid-1400’s. Now that was certainly a scandal. Or just before the United States entered World War Two right before William shipped out to Pearl Harbor. Though, I suppose you wouldn’t remember that. Or in your precious Camp Halfblood in the Poseidon Cabin? I can still hear the faint trickle of the waterfall, and feel just how happy and at peace you were. And when your brother, Percy, walked in on the two of you making love well that was just priceless.” Erlik winked again and laughed.

            “You smarmy, disgusting, excuse of a god!” I marched up to him and raised my fist waiting for it to connect with his perfectly straight nose. Erlik easily caught my fist in his hand and overpowered me. Typically, it would be more of a struggle, but Gaea’s constant assault had left me weak.

            “Gaea has weakened you, exponentially.” His voice became laced with concern and he set his hands on my shoulders which were now shaking from exertion. “ _Benim tatlı prensesim_ , what have they done to you?” _My sweet princess._

            I fiercely shrugged off his hands and rubbed my bare shoulders. “Why do you care? I’m practically in this mess because of you.”

            “ _Evet_. I suppose you are right.” Erlik confessed.

            “Is that a twinge of sadness I hear in your voice, Erlik? Does the god of death feel more emotion than just anger and hate? I’m surprised.” Even to my own ears I could tell that my voice had lost its natural quip. I sounded tired. Ancient, even.

            The god of death cleared his throat, and straightened his pullover, although, it hadn’t been out of place. “There is no time for sadness and regret, I’m afraid _Benim tatlı prensesim._ Marethyu sent me here in hopes that you might be able to help us.”

            I scoffed weakly and leaned against the wall with my eyes closed. I was fading quickly, at this rate Gaea would consume me in a matter of days.

            “I highly doubt Josh sent you here. He knows better, and you should know that I wouldn’t fall for this sort of trick.”

            Erlik’s dark eyes flashed with anger and low growl emanated from his throat. “And you know better than to test me, Victoria.” His voice was laced with poison and a warning.

            I rolled my eyes. “Do you really think that after all these years that I would be afraid of you?” I laughed bitterly. “I hate to break it to you, but you’re not exactly the biggest threat out there. You don’t even have that much power left. You’re weak, and soon you will fade out of existence just as countless of your brethren have before you. You will lose in the end.” My voice climbed louder.

"Believe it or not I'm actually here to help you," the god snapped at me, halting my angry words with a finger held up in silence. Erlik pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "Honestly am I not allowed to help my lady is death every once and a while?"

“Hmmm how about,” I paused to think. “NO! Especially because you killed me, tortured me, and cursed me to live a life haunted by death! You have never desired to help me! You have only sought to hinder me as I struggled to make this world better, and struggled to live!”

"I want to help now!” Erlik brought his hand to his chest almost as if he was making a pledge. “Let me help you!”

“Then what changed?” I shouted. “You are a monster who only ever looked out for yourself! Since when have you cared about anything besides yourself and power!”

"Since the world has fallen into chaos and you are the only one who knows anything." The god of death sounded sad and defeated. If I didn’t know who he was I might have believed him.

“Isn’t chaos and destruction kind of your department, Erlik? That’s all that you have ever brought to this realm,” I pointed out not falling for his act.

“Chaos and destruction by my own hands, yes. Not by the act of an insane earth goddess who desire to kill everything in this realm, which includes me.”

“So, you’re in this for self-preservation? Well at least now I know that you’re being honest. That is something I can believe.” I crossed my arms and tried to conserve some energy.

Erlik sighed darkly. “She’s eating away at you. You don’t have very much time life, do you?”

I looked up at him and my eyes were met dark eyes filled with regret. This god who I had despised for so long pitied me. I couldn’t understand what part of him had changed. When we first met millennia ago he was a man who only desired power. All he wanted was to control my fate. Erlik forced me to put duty before my own feelings. My duty was to save my people from his wrath. Because of him I learned that this sort of thinking was vital in every age. As much as I hated to admit it Erlik made me stronger. He made me into the person I was today even if he did it through eternal torture and a curse. Because of him I was a warrior.

            “’I am more than capable of separating feelings from duty!’ Those were the words you shouted at me when I challenged your resolve all those years ago.” Erlik smirked sadly. “So, Victoria what are your feelings telling you now.”

            My gaze didn’t leave his even as he stared into the very depths of my soul. This god knew me like the back of his hand. “My feelings are telling me not to trust you, and that I despise you and everything you stand for.”

            “And what about your duty to your people? What must you do to save them and yourself?” Erlik’s gaze challenged me. “What are you going to do, Queen of Light?”

            “It is my duty to do whatever it takes to save them. Even if that means ally myself with you.” I stood tall, not allowing the walls of my prison to support me any longer. I inhaled deeply through my nose and rolled my shoulders back to regain the stature of a soldier. My fists tightened at my sides, and my stance widened. “As a protector of this realm I will save my people no matter the cost.”

            Erlik reminded me of my purpose. I would not give up so easily.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another chapter has come to a close. I hope that you all liked it.

**Author's Note:**

> Whelp, there you go. I hope you lie this chapter. Let me know what you though. :)


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